Harry Potter and the Elemental Destiny
by Elemental Destiny
Summary: With 5th Year over, Harry is stuck in a deep depression. Yet with his 16th birthday approaching he will come to learn that not all magic is wizarding magic, not all dark is evil, and that sometimes the correct path is lying right before your eyes. AU
1. Prologue: Enter the High Council

Title: Harry Potter and the Elemental Destiny

Author: Elemental Destiny

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K Rowling does. I just mess around with her characters. Anyone you don't recognize is my own creation.

Summary: With 5th year over, Harry is stuck in a deep depression. Yet with his 16th birthday approaching he will come to learn that not all magic is wizarding magic, not everything dark is evil, and that sometimes the correct path to follow is lying right before your eyes. AU Post OotP

A/N: This is my first fan fiction and comments are always appreciated. Happy Reading!

_Italics _– Thoughts

Prologue: Enter the High Council

The full moon shone brightly in the clear night sky, bathing the side of a large hill in its light. All was peaceful and quiet except for the soft padding of paws on earth.

Atop the hill, pacing in the moonlight was a wolf, her paws thumping against the ground as she moved back and forth. Her movements were hurried and anxious and her silver eyes never left the opening of a trail that lead down the hill into an expansive forest.

_He's going to make us late if he doesn't show up soon; they won't look kindly on that. _

She tried to stop her racing heart as further thought brought up just why her human might be so late to their meeting place. Shaking her head as if to shake off those bad thoughts she stopped moving and opened her senses, searching for any sign that might indicate that the man she was looking for drew near.

Finding no sign of anyone near her, she laid down on the smooth grass finally giving in to her worry. Placing her head down on her paws and keeping her eyes glued to the path leading up the hill she decided to wait only a little longer before going out in search of him. Her worried heart would allow her to wait only a little longer.

She was lost in her concern and worry, so much so that she didn't notice the cloaked man creeping up behind her. A slight smirk graced his face as he pounced on her.

She yelped in surprise and leapt to her feet turning to face the man who was barely holding himself upright and near hysterical with laughter.

His laughter was cut short however by a low and angry sounding growl. He looked up from his mirth in time to see a silver blur launch at him knocking him off his feet and pinning him to the ground such that he could barley draw a single breath.

_Talasien__ Darkholme!_ _Do you have any idea how worried I was, you weren't here on time and I had no idea where you were. For all I had know you could have been hurt and you pull a stunt like this. _

Talasien cringed as he heard the angry voice of his familiar inside his mind.

" I'm sorry Selena, I really am. I came from the north and I saw you looking at the south path up the hill, and you were so into it, and distracted, and oh, I just couldn't help it." he rambled, sounding about six rather than his 36 years of age.

Selena glared at him, but after taking in his contrite expression and apologetic manner she relented.

_Apology accepted._

She got off him and allowed him to rise to his knees before giving him a gentle kiss on his cheek.

_Well,_ _let's get a move on __Loki__ we've been summoned by the High Council and they don't wait for anyone. _

Talasien smiled at the use of his familiars nickname for him, god of trickery indeed, and a sure sign that he was truly forgiven for his small bit of mischief. He hadn't been greatly worried though, Selena knew he had a mischievous side that sometimes just had to come out. They had been together since his 16th birthday and not a soul alive knew him better than her.

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"Selena, how much farther is it we've been traveling for hours?" Talasien asked, looking at the wolf that was yards ahead of him pushing through the underbrush.

_Well, if someone had gotten to the hill on time we wouldn't have had to take a shortcut through the woods now would we._

It was times like these that Talasien was amazed that one living being could project that much sarcasm through mere thought alone.

"I wonder what the council wants with us, I mean getting summoned is a big deal most go their entire lives without even seeing the building that houses them let alone the council members themselves."

_It's something big, very big I can feel it. Plus it would have to be big for them to justify dragging you so far away from your family. _

I'm not worried, I mean its great to be home, no place I would rather be but with Kiray and the kids. They will be ok on their own for a few days. Besides Aiden is with Kiray and he would never let anything happen to her, or to the children, he's quite the dedicated familiar." He smirked slightly and continued, " So don't worry so much they will be fine."

Selena sighed and looked fleetingly annoyed at being seen through so easily but eventually remembered that there was simply no way to fool her human, he knew her too well.

_You're right of course; absolutely right they will be fine._

As the pair passed under a particularly large bit of underbrush they came out of the forest and onto a path that was leading to a large building surrounded by trees.

It was a simple building, though a massive one, with a large ceiling and stone grey bricks making the walls. In fact besides the size there was only one noticeable thing about the entire building and that was the gemstones. Lying above the door in an arc were nine gemstones of different colors. Green, a blue white mix, black, light blue, yellow, grey, white, red, and blue, and all seemed to glow with a power that went beyond the gem itself.

_This is the Grand Hall of the High Council; it's smaller than I would have thought._

"That's not funny Selena, this is a big deal we have to be serious and make the right impression."

_I know but you are too nervous and I was trying to ease your mind. Besides as you have said numerous times, sarcasm suits me. Relax Loki lets just go in and hear what they have to say. Just remember that this is an honor and treat it as such and you will be fine._

Smiling slightly at her wisdom Talasien opened the door and stepped inside, Selena following closely at his heels.

"Come forward young Druid, state your name and be known" A wise voice spoke, echoing inside the large room.

"I am Talasien Darkholme my lord, and this is my familiar Selena, we have come as you have called us." Talasien spoke respectfully, head bowed, pausing only briefly to point to Selena as he introduced her.

" Welcome Talasien, son of Earth and welcome to you as well Selena, daughter of Earth. I am Landon son of Lightning, Lord and High master of the Druidic High Council."

Talasien looked up at this and got his first full look at the legendary High Council. Seated at an arcing table there were four people to a side with Lord Landon in the middle. In front of each member sat a gemstone identical to one of the gems above the entrance, and if the stark yellow gem sitting in front of Lord Landon was to be considered, indicative of which element they had mastered.

A voice however stopped his observations, though what the voice said would lead to his ability to make many more.

" I believe introductions are in order." Lord Landon said as he indicated to his far right.

A man sat there in flowing green robes, the green gemstone, Emerald his mind provided, sat in front of him. Everything about this man screamed earth and when he finally spoke Talasien was not surprised by what he said.

" Well met young one, I am Eamon, son of Earth, Lord and Earth Master of the High Council"

Next to Lord Eamon sat a woman who was almost wild in appearance, though not ugly by any means. Her short hair was all over the place and she wore simple robes of pale blue. Her blue-white gem shone brightly in front of her.

" Greetings Earth son, I am Willow daughter of Wind, Lady and Wind Master of the High Council."

"Darren son of Darkness, Lord, and Dark Master of the High Council" he spoke bluntly, starting as soon as Lady Willow had finished. While not rude his eyes, the same black color as his gemstone held more than just a hint of impatience.

On Lord Darren left side sat a women whose icy blue eyes made Talasien shiver and move closer to Selena. With her eyes, her light blue robes and the icy blue gemstone there was no need to guess what element she had mastered.

" Ileana" she spoke. "Daughter of Ice, Lady and Ice Master of the High Council."

As Talasien's eyes once again met the stormy blue ones of Lord Landon he waited to hear if the High Master would speak again, and if he did Talasien hoped what he said was simple. For Talasien was still trying to process what he had learned of the other members.

He needed have worried, as all that was said by the High Master was, "Landon son of Lightning, Lord, High Master, and Lightning Master of the High Council."

To Lord Landon's left sat a man who, in Talasien's opinion, was easily the most intimidating. With concealing dark grey robes, a penetrating stare and a slight sneer, he spoke in a tone of voice that simply shouted danger.

" Shayden, son of Shadow, Lord and Shadow Master of the High Council."

To Lord Shayden's left sat a women in pure white robes. She smiled at Talasien and said softly, " Lana, daughter of Light, Lady and Light Master of the High Council.

To the Light Lady's left sat a man who looked like he would rather be doing anything but sitting. He had sandy blonde hair and looked to be suppressing boundless energy.

Nonetheless he smiled at Talasien and said, " Fuero, son of Fire, Lord and Fire Master of the High Council."

The final member of the council was by far the strangest. Her deep blue eyes looked a million miles away and when she finally spoke her voice had a distinctively dream quality to it.

"Wyrda, daughter of Water, Lady and Water Master of the High Council."

When Lady Wyrda was done speaking Talasien exchanged greetings with all the Council members, passing along Selena's greeting as well. Though he liked some more then others they were all highly skilled in the Druidic arts as well as their chosen elements and all deserved his highest respect.

" Alas the pleasantries have come to an end and I believe it is high time to get to the reason that we summoned you here," said Lord Landon.

"Do you wish to start Landon or shall I, or perhaps even Wyrda," said Lord Eamon.

"No, I believe I will start," Lord Landon sighed and with a quick glance at Talasien began again. " Talasien we have summoned you here for an important reason, things are being put into motion earlier than we have ever foreseen.

"With all due respect my lord, what are you talking about?"

Lord Landon chuckled and said, " Let me speak more clearly, over a thousand years ago in this very hall, a prophecy was spoken to the High Master of the time, his name was Kyron, a son of Shadow. Now this prophecy spoke among many things of a boy who would be blessed in the magical arts, as well as be a son hidden in plain sight. For years the High Council has been trying to discover the meaning of those words and now thanks to Lady Wyrda we believe we have found the answer."

" You are too kind Landon, the answer would have presented itself I simply found it earlier than we expected," said Lady Wyrda.

"Now pay attention young one, I was not named Wyrda for no reason, I am a seer and highly capable at divination. While I was scrying the wizarding world one day I saw something most unexpected. A young man in a fit of rage, now normally I wouldn't have paid attention except for one thing, I noticed that the angrier he got the darker the sky became."

"A lightning elemental?" Talasien interrupted.

" One would think so but he was not I checked the archives that record all elemental wizards at the moment of there birth. It was not hard the archives are in this building so no, he was not a wizard gifted with the power of the elements. While his situation was interesting I put it to the back of my mind and there it sat until last Friday when we, the Council, were looking at the prophecy of old and then it hit me." She told him, smiling at the confused look on his face.

" I that I do not understand." Said Talasien.

" Then I shall help you to understand. This boy who could darken the sky is the child of the prophecy. A son hidden in plain sight, those words mean that the child of the prophecy is a druid but none know it. Once I got my suspicion however I could check it easily. Getting some of his blood was not too difficult and the answers lay in that blood. He has the druid's gene from both Mother and Father and since that information is."

"Accessible to any who could draw his blood and test it, he was in a sense a son hiding in plain sight," Talasien finished.

" Very good young one" Lady Wyrda complimented.

Talasien smiled at the compliment, exchanging look with Selena before once again address the Water Master.

"What does this mean for him, for us? What else did the prophecy tell?"

Lady Wryda frowned slightly as she spoke, " I cannot tell you earth son and that is why we need your help."

"What do you mean?"

" No one knows the full version of the prophecy like all other prophecy it can be touched only be one whom it is about. All we have is the information that was written down by the council of old and it's not the full content, of that we are sure. That is why we need you to go to the wizarding world and bring the boy to us, we must know the full contents of the prophecy and only this young child can help us." She told him.

" You want me to go to the wizarding world, pick up a boy who has no idea who or what I am and just bring him here?" He asked, incredulously.

" Precisely," Lord Landon said.

As he spoke Talasien's eyes flew back to the Lightning Lord and he saw the seriousness of his gaze.

" We chose you for a reason earth son, we know you can do this. The child will make the change as all our kind do at sunrise on the 16th birthday. We charge you with the task of helping him adjust as well as bringing him hear." Lord Landon told him.

_Why do you want Talasien to do this? _

It was the first time Selena had ever spoken to any but her human but this was important so she projected her thoughts into all minds present.

_I know that Talasien is a great druid and a fine earth wielder but there are other with more experience and power so I repeat, why do you want Talasien? _

It was Lord Eamon who answered this time and he did so after a heavy sigh, " This child has not lived a happy life. He has had much misfortune fall upon him and we fear how he will take the change. That's why we summoned you Talasien, your compassion is well known in our community, that boy needs compassion and someone to take help him."

"You believe that I am the person to do this?"

"We do, you are a good father and a compassionate man as well as a passionate fighter who is apparently not aware of how well known he is. The prophesized child will need help and you are just the man to help him."

" My deeds are not as great as they say my lord, you know how people tend to exaggerate. However, I will do it, far be it from me to not help a child in need. Selena and I will set out in three days after we return home and prepare. I am honored that you believe me worthy for a mission of this importance. If that is all then I must respectfully ask to take my leave as I have much preparing to do."

"There is but one more thing earth son, we believe that you should know what awaits you. The child is in great pain and will need a great deal of help to let go of it. I wish to show you the child himself so you may see what awaits you and prepare accordingly."

"You can show me the child, while you sit here in the council room and he in a land far from ours." Talasien said, awed.

Lord Eamon smiled at the look that graced the face of Talasien, for it was quite amusing. His action sparking a though that often occurred when young Druids stood before the council.

_Honestly they think we are all powerful or something, oh how rumors fly._

"The child has a pet, a snowy owl, and using the will of the earth I will join my mind with hers and allow you to see through her eyes as though you were in her place."

"That can be done?" asked Talasien, who was immediately interested. His own element was earth and though he himself was well learned he had never heard of such a power before.

"It is a rare but not unheard of trick fellow earth gifted. It is also near impossible with the consent of the animal, which I thankfully have. She is quite worried for her master." Lord Eamon informed him.

" I am ready when you are my lord."

Lord Eamon got up from his seat and walked towards Talasien, stopping a few feet in front of him. Sifting his eyes downward, the Earth Master's face gained a look of deep concentration. A soft glow of pale green surrounded the man and after many long moments when he finally looked up his normally vivid green eyes were now a darkened amber.

Talasien raised his own eyes to meet with those of the Earth lord although when there eyes met he felt a slight pulling sensation and was no longer staring at amber eyes, instead he saw a the back of a dark haired young man, leaning against a window.

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Harry stood leaning against the frame of his window, his eyes locked on the night sky, well at least on part of it. Sirius the Dog Star glowed brilliantly and his emerald eyes never left it.

When he could finally bear no more and his eyes were filled with tears that he refused to shed, he pushed away from the window unable to stop the flood of images that were appearing in his mind

_A loud bark like laughing filling the large room… The whirl of colors being sent back and forth… The deep red light… The graceful arc … His body disappearing… The shadowy curtains of the whispering veil._

"No!" he shouted, shaking his head furiously as he continued to battle back the tears.

Heavy hearted he walked across the room to Hedwig's cage, pulling a chair with him as he passed it.

After he was seated, Harry looked down to see Hedwig who, having sensed her master's upset flew to his arm and landed there offering what small comfort she could.

"Why Hedwig, why didn't I listen to Hermione, she knew something was wrong." He told her softly.

"Why didn't I use the mirror, all it would have taken was a few minutes to go up to the tower and I would have known he was safe. No, I had to go and play the hero, how could I have fallen for it."

His eyes then took the familiar path to the photo album lying on the bed. The faces of his mother, father, and godfather smiling up at him from the picture.

His voice grew softer still and when he spoke again it was in a voice barely above a whisper as though the words hurt so much to say that he couldn't bear to say them at a normal volume.

" Why do I always loose everyone who I love?"

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Talasien pulled his head away and dropped to his knees, sorrow etched over every feature.

_Loki_

The thought from his familiar matched with the distress he felt form her caught his attention and he looked up at her, wordlessly opening the connection between their minds, showing her all that he had witnessed.

_We will help him. We will go to the wizarding world, find this child and we will make him whole again. _

Talasien had to crack a small smile at the determined voice of Selena. There was a reason no one dared to come between a mother wolf and her cubs. Her instinct to protect this lonely child, this broken cub, was quite strong.

Talasien rose to his feet feeling her determination mix with his own.

" What is his name?" Talasien asked simply.

"Harry, Harry Potter. Based on the information we have gathered he lives in Surrey, in the home of his aunt and uncle." Lord Landon said.

" I will go to him and bring him here, seeing him safely through his upcoming transformation." He told the Council.

" _I will make him whole again."_ He vowed to himself.

"Go then young one, it is obvious that your thoughts and the need of your talents are elsewhere. Go and tend to the young Druid but be careful I fear reaching him may prove, challenging." Lady Wryda said casting him a small smile despite her grim predictions.

" Wyrda is right, go now Earth son. The blessings of the High Council go with you." Lord Landon told him.

Nodding once and bowing in respect to the Council Talasien turned and walked towards the exit with long determined strides and in a matter of moments he was gone, Selena following closely behind.

" Have we done the right thing Landon?" Wryda asked softly after staring at the door through which the pair had left.

" There was no one else, you know this and have anguished over it since."

" He has no idea what he is getting himself into."

" Men of his kind rarely do my dear, come it is late and we should retire."

The members of the council rose silently making for the back of the large room where there was a hallway that led to the chambers.

The room was still and all was quiet as the Water Master made her way towards the chambers stopping briefly to look at a tapestry on which was depicted the High Council of old.

" Good luck Talasien, son of earth, and good luck Harry Potter, son of Destiny."


	2. Chapter 1: Through the Fire and Flames

Title: Harry Potter and the Elemental Destiny

Author: Elemental Destiny

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K Rowling does. I just mess around with her characters. The excerpt from OotO is hers as well. Anyone you don't recognize is my own creation. The title of the chapter doesn't belong to me either it's the title of a Dragonforce song.

Summary: With 5th year over, Harry is stuck in a deep depression. Yet with his 16th birthday approaching he will come to learn that not all magic is wizarding magic, not everything dark is evil, and that sometimes the correct path to follow is lying right before your eyes. AU Post OotP

A/N: Hey everyone thanks for all the hits. It's nice to know that people are reading the story. Just to clarify something, the prophecy of the Old High Council talks about Harry being a son who is hidden in plain sight. In my world druids are identified by their main element, being called the son of daughter of that element. (Ex. Talasien, son of Earth, or Wyrda, daughter of Water) so since Harry, who has not had his transformation therefore has no main element, was called a son (druid) hiding in plain sight. Hope that this note clears it up for anyone who didn't understand it. Well now that that is out of the way on to Chapter 1. Happy Reading!

_Italics _– Thoughts

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Chapter 1: Through the Fire and Flames

_Sirius ducked Bellatrix's jet of red light: He was laughing at her. " Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room._

_The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest._

_The laughter had not quite died from his face but his eyes widened in shock._

_It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backwards through the ragged veil hanging from above the arch._

"Sirius!" Harry screamed as his eyes shot open and he himself shot straight up from his bed, sweaty and shaking.

"BOY, if you can't keep quiet then I will make you quiet. Some of us normal people who actually have jobs instead of being lazy freeloaders are trying to sleep!" Uncle Vernon hollered from the room down the hall.

Harry sighed but wasn't totally worried, if Uncle Vernon hadn't done anything by now he probably wouldn't do anything at all, after all he hadn't been able to sleep through the night without a nightmare waking him, and the rest of the house up since he got back.

Nonetheless Harry decided to give his Uncle a wide berth that day. A day that according to the time his clock read wouldn't begin for him for four hours.

Now fully awake and only shaking slightly he thought about what he could do since sleep was no longer an option. He thought about doing his schoolwork but he couldn't find the energy or desire to get up to do it. He thought of a whole bunch of productive things that he could spend this time doing.

He could read some of the letters his friends had sent him that he hadn't been able to open. He knew what was inside them; it was inside all the letters he had gotten this summer. "It wasn't your fault", "He wouldn't want you to grieve like this", "He died a hero", and all other sorts of comforts that he could not bear to see written on paper. All the letters were a harsh reminder of what he had lost.

Instead he did what he always did, the one thing that he found was able to bring him some peace, he went to talk to Hedwig. His dependence on his first real friend had grown substantially since his godfather's death. She was always there for him if he needed someone to rant to, cry to, or even just be with. It had gotten to the point that she would wake a few minutes before he did, so when he looked over to her cage he was not surprised to see amber eyes meet his own and hear a small hoot.

He got up and walked over to her, dragging the desk chair with him so he could sit.

" Hello girl, awake before me again, if I didn't know better I'd say that you could read my mind."

She gave a soft hoot in response and gently nipped his finger before settling on his arm.

Harry always had to laugh at this, even if it was only a small chuckle, deprived of any real mirth. Hedwig had taken to settling on his arm during their early morning time together, almost as if she knew he needed to talk and was making herself more comfortable so she could listen.

" I can't keep going on like this Hedwig, I have to find someway to sleep through the night. Not that I don't enjoy our time together, but I need sleep and I don't want to push Uncle Vernon too much farther."

She hooted again before taking off and landing on his desk. When he went to see what she was doing he found her perched on his potions book, giving him a significant look.

Harry marveled at the intelligence of his owl, there were times, like these, when she seemed almost human.

"Of course Hedwig, that's brilliant there has to be a potion that could help me sleep through the night, like the one I got after the Triwizard Tournament, but how would I get it. Snape may not be winning any awards for his teaching skills but I won't be winning any for my potion brewing either."

He sighed and thought about the dilemma while softly petting the feathers on Hedwig's head

" Oh this is hopeless, the only way I could get that potion would be to ask for it and I can't do that. I can't ask for help Hedwig, I just can't. If the order thinks something is wrong they may come and investigate and lets face it, even the Dursleys could tell them enough to make them worry and that's saying something. I can't go back Hedwig, I cannot go back to that house." Harry said, his voice sounding hollow at the mention of his late godfather's house. 

"I need help but I can't get it, I shouldn't be surprised. When have I ever had much help in any part of my life."

Harry got up and went back to his bed, lying down and staring at the ceiling, another familiar early morning position. His thoughts were wild and he paid little attention to his surroundings.

If he had he may have noticed the worried look in his owl's eyes. If he had been paying attention he also may have noticed her slip quietly out the window, flying high with determined beats of her wings as she chased after the sun, which was slowly rising from the east.

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It was a typical day for Harry. After his early morning of ceiling watching he spent the rest of the morning/afternoon memorizing patterns of the books on the shelf and other such activities designed to keep his mind from more distressing thoughts. The only odd thing about his day was the absence of Hedwig who he hadn't seen since the early morning.

When darkness had finally fallen he heard a soft fluttering followed by a quite thump from his position on the bed. As his eyes were drawn to the sound he saw what had made the noise, Hedwig was back. Harry shot up from the bed and went to see her, he had been worried, she had been gone a whole day after all.

As he drew closer to her Harry saw that she held a package in her talons. Pausing only briefly to check but not read the letter, on which his name was written in handwriting that he did not recognize, he opened the package. Inside he found a vial of purple potion, which was very carefully wrapped. After seeing the vial Harry immediately tore open the letter, hoping it would contain a clue as to the vials contents.

_**Harry,**_

_**Your owl came to me in quite a state of distress, seems her master hasn't been sleeping well. The potion I enclosed should help, dreamless sleep, if you were wondering.**_

_**Take care of yourself and Hedwig,**_

_**A friend**_

_**PS. Drink the potion, your owl wouldn't bring you something from someone who meant you harm, I trust you know she is much smarter than that**_

Harry took the potion out of the box, but was still worried; the fact that he had enemies did not escape him. However, he was desperate and the friend did get one thing right, Hedwig would never bring him something from someone who meant him harm. It also didn't hurt that the potion matched the description of the dreamless sleep potion that was in his textbook.

Pulling the stopper out of the vial he downed the potion and lay down on his bed, falling asleep in moments and for the first time that summer, slept through the night.

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As the next day dawned Harry spent it much like he had spent all the other days since his return to the Dursleys, staying in his room alone and brooding, albeit a bit more rested that day than normal.

In fact he hadn't done any of the chores that he normally attended to, he lacked the energy or the desire to leave his room and thus far his relatives hadn't bothered him. Harry was quite content to stay isolated and alone in his room, shutting out the world. However both his quiet and his solitude would not last the day.

" That's It! "

With only the shout to warn him, the door to Harry's room was violently swung open and his Uncle's frame stood in the doorway.

" What are you talking about?" asked Harry, more than a little nervous after the loud entrance his Uncle had made.

" I've had enough of you and your lazy freakishness!" Uncle Vernon bellowed.

Harry looked up at his Uncle and his nervousness grew after catching the look on his Uncle's face, a look that promised nothing good for him.

" We took you in and you have been a burden on my family ever since, and now you aren't even earning your keep. Waking up the family at night with your screams and sitting in this room all day instead of doing work for Petunia and I. Sitting and moaning about your pathetic Godfather, who got what was coming to him if you ask me. Tomorrow boy you will get back to your chores and stop sitting around doing nothing." Uncle Vernon ranted.

"Don't," Harry said, as the room seemed to rise several degrees in temperature. " Don't you dare talk about Sirius."

" I'll say whatever I want about your no good, worthless, pathetic, bastard of a godfather." Said Uncle Vernon cruelly, taking delight in drawing out every insult.

" Sirius was twice the man you will ever be," Harry said, jumping to his feet to glare at his Uncle, anger fused into his voice.

" Considering he's six- feet under, that doesn't give me much to aspire to now does it Boy."

Harry growled softly as he intensified his glare. As he glared he felt a heat racing through his veins, as if the force of his anger was causing his blood to boil and shoot through his body. Harry's temper, aided by this new feeling finally gave way and he exploded.

" He's better off dead that to be anything like you, you fat, pathetic excuse for a human being! You have no soul, all you know how to do is bring others down and bully them, easy to see where your whale of a son gets it! You will not speak about"

Whatever else Harry was going to say was cut short as his Uncle reached out and shoved him, causing Harry to drop to the ground, though not hard enough to cause any pain beyond a twinge.

" You will not speak to me in that manner BOY!" shouted Uncle Vernon.

Hedwig from her perch inside her cage began to hoot loudly and angrily as she saw the fat blob once again yelling at her beloved friend and master.

" Shut up you ruddy owl." Uncle Vernon barked as he strode over to her cage.

Harry sensing immediate danger shot to his feet in an attempt to head his Uncle off and keep him away from his first and most loyal friend, but he was to late.

Uncle Vernon took the cage off the desk and threw it against the wall and while the wire cage protected Hedwig from life threatening harm she still screeched loudly in pain as she made contact with the wall.

For Harry this was the final straw, he started towards his Uncle, the disadvantages in size, weight, and experience meant nothing to him. He was lost in a rage so intense that he could feel it heating his entire body.

When Uncle Vernon saw what his nephew intended to do he grinned evilly, " I should have taught you proper manners years ago, you little brat."

When Harry was close enough his Uncle reached out and grabbed hold of his nephew roughly by the arms.

" Ahhhhhhhhhh"

However it was not Harry who screamed.

Uncle Vernon tore his hands away from Harry and cradled them. When he looked down he saw that his hands were covered in burns of various degrees. Furious, he turned to face his nephew already promising to make him pay for using his freakishness. When he looked up however he froze, his red face immediately loosing all color.

Harry, slightly confused, though still enraged said dangerously, "Get out,"

His Uncle slowly began to back away towards the door and when he was finally out of the room Harry slammed the door and immediately made his way over to Hedwig. He was so worried about making sure that she was ok that he never caught a glimpse of himself as he passed by the wardrobe mirror. As he never saw his reflection he never saw what it was that had so scared his Uncle, never saw that his eyes, normally a calm emerald green were blazing and outlined by a vicious, fiery red.

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Thousands of miles away, a man and a wolf were sitting side by side in front of an silver medallion, which was covered in numerous runes. Suddenly the runes began to glow a deep read and the metal itself heated almost to the point to melting.

Talasien smiled, " The element of fire has been awoken."


	3. Chapter 2: The Eyes are the Window to

Title: Harry Potter and the Elemental Destiny

Author: Elemental Destiny

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K Rowling does. I just mess around with her characters. Anyone you don't recognize is my own creation.

Summary: With 5th year over, Harry is stuck in a deep depression. Yet with his 16th birthday approaching he will come to learn that not all magic is wizarding magic, not everything dark is evil, and that sometimes the correct path to follow is lying right before your eyes. AU Post OotP

A/N: Hello again! Thanks go out to all my readers, its always encouraging looking at my stats and seeing how many people are reading the story. Reviews are always greatly appreciated, if you can spare the time. Well, on to Chapter 2. Happy Reading!

_Italics _– Thoughts

Chapter 2: The Eyes are the Window to the Soul

_It's bright_

That was Harry's only thought as he took his first step outside since he had returned to the Dursley's.

Harry would have been perfectly happy staying in his room for the rest of the summer but unfortunately for him, his Aunt had other plans.

After finding out what had happened to her husband she had become, a bit upset, and that was putting it nicely. She had sought out her nephew and told him in no uncertain terms that she wanted him out of the house for as long as he could be outside of it.

Harry, still being slightly freaked out from his encounter with his Uncle, and being wary of the slightly crazed look in his Aunt's eye, agreed to go and stay at the park during the day, returning to his room only when night had fallen.

It was this agreement that lead him outside and on the way to the park to begin what he was sure was going to be a bad day.

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It was a bright and sunny day at the Surrey Park. Children were playing merrily, parents were watching, and in the corner of the park on a swing set that was rarely used by the normal park goers, sat Harry.

After making the walk from the Dursley's he had quickly found the spot that was farthest away from the other people at the park. That is how he spent most of the morning, swinging slightly and watching the other people in the park, trying to keep his mind busy.

Though there were many interesting people in the park Harry's eyes were drawn to only one person, a little girl who was sitting on a swing near the other side of the park. While she was doing nothing more interesting than anyone else in the park, Harry knew why she had caught his eye. With red hair and bright green eyes she looked like a younger version of his mother.

Harry found himself doing something that he had not done much that summer while watching her, he found himself smiling.

While he was still depressed, he couldn't help but smile at her innocence. She sat on the swing, her expression joyful as she swung back and forth; completely unaware of the dangers and darkness of the world she lived in.

It was that reason that made him so concerned when he saw Dudley and his gang enter the park and head in the young girl's direction.

As the gang got closer Harry jumped off his swing and quickly made his way across the park, reaching the girls swing set just in time to see Dudley grab her swing and force her off of it.

" Nothing better to do than pick on little kids, Big D," Harry said stepping in front of the little girl who had tears in her eyes to keep himself between her and Dudley.

" She is on our territory," growled Piers.

" Ignoring the fact that she probably has no idea what territory means, didn't your mother ever teach you that it's not nice to pick on girls" Harry replied.

" What would you know about mothers Potter, I don't recall seeing yours around," Dudley said cruelly.

Harry felt his hands tighten into fists but after a quick look at the girl standing behind him, a girl whose tear filled eyes were gazing up at him trustingly, his anger vanished, replaced by a fierce desire to protect the girl who had put her trust in him.

" Look, why don't you just leave her alone and let her swing, she's not doing anything to you,"

" Why don't you just back away from her Potter, she has a lesson to learn. No one comes into our territory without consequences," Dudley said, taking a step forward.

The girl whimpered in fear and tried to hide herself behind Harry, clearly catching Dudley's message.

" You would beat up a little girl for simply swinging in the park," Harry stated, disgusted.

" I told you Potter, she was on our territory and she will be taught a lesson. Now move." Dudley commanded

The little girl started to cry, and Harry hearing her was filled with a feeling of protectiveness that ran deep.

_What kind of monsters do you have to be to beat up an innocent little girl?_

After glancing at her again his thoughts turned to that fateful day nearly 16 years ago, and to his mother.

_I was just as defenseless as she is, even less so. The difference is that I had a protector, someone who had been willing and did eventually pay the ultimate price to keep to keep me safe. I won't let someone be hurt if I can help it, Hermione is right I do have a saving people thing. _

When he glanced at the girl again however his mind was made up, like his mother he would stand up and protect someone who did not have the power to protect themselves. Though the girl might have looked like his mother, Harry also saw a bit of himself in her. He looked up at Dudley and gently pushed the girl more fully behind him as he felt the desire to protect her fill his mind and body.

" No, You will not touch her!" Harry growled, each word said slowly so that there would be no mistaking his intentions.

" Are you going to stop me?" Dudley questioned clearly amused at the thought of his scrawny cousin trying to fight him.

" Yeah, I am" Harry told him, bracing himself.

Dudley started forward after a small hesitation, his cousin did have freaky powers though he reminded himself that he couldn't use them during the summer.

" Please don't get hurt"

Harry barely heard her voice as the little girl had whispered so softly, but he did hear her and with her words his resolve grew even stronger. No one would touch this girl without going through him first.

" You're finished" Dudley said.

As Dudley moved towards his cousin, however he was stopped in his tracks. The ground, which had moments before been calm, began to shake furiously beneath him.

"What kinds of freakish stuff are you doing?" Dudley asked, fear in his voice.

" I told you cousin, you wont touch her," Harry answered in a cold voice locking eyes with Dudley.

" What is with his eyes?"

" Dude that's so freaky."

" Dudley, lets get out of here"

" How is he doing that?"

The members of Dudley's gang were all commenting on the strange sight in front of them.

Harry Potter.

Dudley's scrawny, black haired cousin whom they had spent most of there lives beating up stood in front of them, seemingly unaffected by the sudden earthquake, with an aura of power nearly pouring off of him. His emerald green eyes were outlined in a dark forest green and were glowing with an unnatural light.

Lets get out of here" Dudley commanded, heading for the park exit, his gang following quickly behind him.

The ground was still shaking when Harry heard a frightened voice cry,

" What's going on, please make it stop."

The light in Harry's eyes dulled as he heard her, the shaking stopping immediately as he turned to face her.

With his reputation, Harry was used to people keeping far away from him as well as parents instructing their kids to do the same.

He was therefore caught completely off guard when the little girl launched herself at him.

" You saved me, you saved me!" she cried, clinging to Harry.

" They were going to be mean to me and you stopped them and you were so brave," she gushed.

" It was nothing special," Harry mumbled, embarrassed by her adoration.

"Rose! Rose! Where are you sweetheart?" a red-haired woman called frantically.

" That's my Mum, I should go before I get in trouble." Rose told him.

" Thanks mister," she added as she started to leave.

" Harry, my name is Harry and it was no problem," he told her.

With a cheery wave, she ran off towards her mother leaving Harry alone by the swing.

As he watched Rose get safely into her mothers arms, he told himself,

" Maybe this wasn't such a bad day after all."

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Later that night Harry sat by his window petting Hedwig who was perched beside him.

" It was a weird day Hedwig, definitely a weird day," Harry told her as he thought of the strange earthquake.

His eyes then strayed the familiar path towards his photo album, quickly finding the face of his mother. He thought about his actions in the park and the feelings that had arisen within him. He also thought about his mother and the choices she made.

" You know Hedwig, I think I may have gotten more from my Mum than just her eyes."

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_Loki, come quickly the amulet_

Selena paced in front of the ancient amulet as she waited for her human to come.

" I know Selena, I can feel it," Talasien told his familiar.

The runes on the amulet began to glow a bright green and the trees surrounded the camp seemed to gain a new energy as the earth gently shook beneath them.

_That's it, only one new element. His birthday is in a week Talasien; he is not awakening elements fast enough. _

" He will get faster," he said simply.

_How are you so sure?_

" Easy, the first element awoken is always a shock even if the child knows to expect it, but the second element, for one who doesn't know what is happening brings confusion with it." Talasien told her.

_What do you mean confusion?_

" He is, to his mind, a wizard and wizards don't suddenly make fire appear or cause the ground to quake. He will be confused about what is happening to him and that is very good."

_How is confusion good, won't it make him more tense_

" No, the confusion will sap at the energy he is using to block his emotions, which will make him more emotional not less."

_How do you know he is blocking his emotions?_

Talasien laughed at hearing all the questioned being asked by his normally knowledgeable familiar. The questions did all revolve around human emotion so it was understandable.

" You saw how depressed he was Selena, he doesn't want to think about anything that will remind him of his godfather. Apathy is the easiest way to think of nothing and let nothing affect you." However to feel nothing all the time is very draining. It takes a lot of conscious energy and control, which as I said, will get sapped by his confusion and panic over his elemental bursts. With that energy and control being weakened he will get emotional more easily, and as elements are awoken when he deeply feels certain emotions, he will get faster as the week goes on. Trust me." Talasien explained.

_You speak of this too clearly, as if you know. Loki?_

Selena looked at him with worry in her amber eyes. He returned her gaze and for a moment pain shone brightly in his silver eyes, but in the next moment it was gone, masked and blocked from her sight.

Though there was much that he could have and probably should have said, all he told her was that,

" The element of earth has been awoken."


	4. Chapter 3: Every Cloud Has a Silver

Title: Harry Potter and the Elemental Destiny

Author: Elemental Destiny

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K Rowling does. I just mess around with her characters. Anyone you don't recognize is my own creation.

Summary: With 5th year over, Harry is stuck in a deep depression. Yet with his 16th birthday approaching he will come to learn that not all magic is wizarding magic, not everything dark is evil, and that sometimes the correct path to follow is lying right before your eyes. AU Post OotP

A/N: Hey everybody! Many thanks go out to all my readers and reviewers. You cannot comprehend how much joy you bring me. Reviews are always appreciated! I just have a few things to clear up before the next chapter. Harry's main element will not be known until he comes into his druidic inheritance at 16. Harry is going through what, in my world, I call transition. During the week before he turns 16, his body releases small bursts of elemental energy when he is feeling a particularly powerful emotion. The release of this element energy is called the awakening of that element. Different elements are awoken with different emotions (Fire was awoken with anger/rage and earth was awoken by a feeling of deep protectiveness) though the emotion does normally have something to do with the element. Harry will awaken all 9 elements before he turns 16 so that his body will be prepared to receive his inheritance, but I'll get more into the inheritance when it happens. Wow this is a long A/N, sorry for the length of it, I am trying my hardest to keep everything as clear as possible. Well, enough of my babbling, on to Chapter 3. Happy Reading!

_Italics _- Thoughts

Chapter 3: Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

After his adventurous day at the park, Harry decided that his best bet was to lay low for a little while. Dudley had not told his parents about what had happened but there was no telling if or when he was going to do so. Harry for once did not have to worry about keeping his mind busy the strange earthquake took care of that.

_What is going on with me? Making earthquakes, that's insane; no wizard has that kind of power. Plus the Ministry didn't pick up on it. This is all too weird, first the thing with Uncle Vernon and now this. There was one similarity though; both Uncle Vernon and Dudley's gang looked at me like I had grown another head or something. What is wrong with me? _

After trying and failing to come up with a valid and believable reason for what was going on, Harry threw himself on his bed in frustration.

Hedwig, sensing her friend's frustration flew over to him and landed on the frame of his bed.

"Sorry if I'm upsetting you Hedwig," Harry told her as he reached out to stroke her soft feathers.

"I just don't know what to do, causing burns and making earthquakes is not something that wizards do, even with accidental magic. I get enough attention already; I don't need anything else about me to be strange."

Hedwig gave a small hoot of encouragement and Harry was once again grateful that she was with him.

"You know what girl; I think you are a lot smarter than people give you credit for."

Hedwig ruffled her feathers importantly as if to tell him that she obviously already knew this.

Harry smiled and lied back against his pillow and for a few moments there was peace. Unfortunately, in what seemed to become a recurring habit for Harry, that peace was broken. A soft popping sound, followed by a flash of light was coming from the corner of the room.

Harry was on his feet instantly wand in his hand only to find himself looking into the black eyes of Fawkes, who was sitting peacefully on Harry's desk.

"You know Fawkes, some warning would be nice, and you nearly gave me a heart attack."

Fawkes trilled softly and Harry felt his nervousness ease and then disappear completely. Harry smiled at the phoenix and walked over to pet the soft plumage. Fawkes gave a contented trill and then held out his leg, onto which was tied a scroll. After Harry had taken the scroll, Fawkes gave one last trill and then vanished in a flash of fire.

Harry knew right then and there whom the letter was from and that made him hesitate to open it. He and Dumbledore had not parted on great terms and his anger with the headmaster over his actions and choices was still fresh in his mind.

_He should have told me earlier, if not first or second year then third and if he couldn't do it third year than the absolute latest at the beginning of fourth year when my name came out of the goblet. I could have prepared, I could have at least done something. Then he spends all of fifth year acting like I didn't exist. _

Besides Sirius's death the prophecy also weighed heavily on Harry's mind. How was he an almost 16-year-old schoolboy supposed to defeat a wizard with more than half a centuries worth of experience?

Finally Harry decided to just open the letter and see what his headmaster wanted, it was a decision he would soon regret.

**My dear boy,**

**I must first, once again, offer you my deepest sympathies. I know what you are going through is not easy, but I have every confidence that you will pull through. I regret to inform you that due to the certain thing we discussed in my office at the end of last year that it is simply not safe to move you until the end of the summer. You are safest, as I told you where your mother's blood dwells. On a different note, I expect that you will soon be getting a letter from ****Gringotts****, ignore that letter. It talks about the time and arrangements necessary for the reading of Sirius's will. I'm afraid that it isn't safe for you to the will reading; so there is no need to even look at the letter. Why upset yourself when you don't have to. I'm sorry my boy but do not worry I will go in your stead and make sure everything is all right and take care of any problems that arise. Once again you are safest inside your house; the guards have told me that you had been staying inside but that you were out yesterday. I really must insist that you stay inside; besides the protection of your mother's blood it is easier to keep you safe if we are certain of where you are. I will see you in September; someone from the Order will arrive on the 1****st**** to take you to the train station.**

**Sincerely,**

**Albus Dumbledore**

Rage.

Disappointment.

Anger.

Annoyance.

Fury.

Sadness.

It was too much, far too much. These emotions came alive inside of Harry all at the same time and all at the same potency. He couldn't tell where one emotion stopped and one began. All he noticed was a static feeling racing through his limbs. He was so overwhelmed that he didn't notice the drastic changes that were occurring outside of his window.

The once sunny and blue sky was turning dark and clouds were gathering in huge quantities. The small animals around Privet Drive also became nervous and skittish.

Harry had had enough, he was tired of trying to bottle in all of his emotion, and that letter had provided the emotions that overflowed the bottle. He knew he would get in trouble, knew that it would attract the neighbor's attention but he no longer cared. Apathy was no longer an option. Nothing mattered anymore except getting rid of the emotions that were shocking and overwhelming his system.

Letter still in his hand, Harry dropped to his knees and screamed, letting out all of his pain, guilt, sorrow, and all the other emotions he had been bottling up.

The sky screamed back.

Thunder boomed while lightning rapidly dropped down from the sky in jagged bolts of yellow, standing out drastically from the dark sky. The sound of the thunder covering the sound of Harry's scream.

Still screaming, though winding down, Harry threw his head back, reveling in the feel of emotional freedom. It just so happened that when he threw his head back, it aligned perfectly with the mirror of his wardrobe. What he saw in the mirror silenced him almost immediately. His emerald green eyes looked supercharged, and were outlined in a bold yellow.

Though his screams had stopped the lightning took a little longer to cease, giving Harry some time to look at his eyes before they faded back to their normal emerald green.

Harry attention was still focused on the mirror even after his eyes had returned to normal. His focus was broken when he heard a hoot coming from the window. Sure enough as Dumbledore's letter had said, the letter bore the Gringotts seal, though there was also another letter with it, this one was blank with no seal.

Harry was about to throw them away when a thought came to him.

_Why shouldn't I read it, not making myself upset without cause my arse. If the only thing in this letter was the time and date of Sirius's will reading then it wouldn't matter if I read it or not. That means that there is something in here that Dumbledore doesn't want me to see._

Harry decided he would open the letter and see what the headmaster had tried to stop him from seeing. Gone were the days when Harry blindly followed whatever the Headmaster said. His trust in the man had been severely shaken, and would not last this next blow.

**Dear Mr. Potter,**

**Firstly, I wish to offer you my condolences on the loss of your Godfather. As his account manger, I knew Mr. Black better than most and will always remember him as an honorable man. As the Ministry never convicted him, choosing to simply throw him in Azkaban, his accounts were never frozen or seized. This also means that his Will can be read. The date of the reading is on the 27****th**** of July at 12:00 in the afternoon. I must stress to you that it is imperative that you attend. Some of the things described in the Will require your immediate signature and there are also some matters that we must discuss regarding the changes the Will shall make to your personal accounts. On a more personal note, as a supposed criminal Mr. Black trusted the goblins of Gringotts more than the average wizard. He sent a letter to me in what I have come to learn to be mere hours before his death with instructions to pass the letter to you if something were to happen to him. You will find the letter in the unmarked envelope that accompanied this letter. If you have any problems or concerns regarding the will reading do not hesitate to contact me, your business is highly regarded at ****Gringotts**** and we hope to be able to assist you whenever we can. **

**Sincerely,**

**Blackstone**

**Black Family Account Manager**

While Harry felt anger rise within him at being lied to again by the Headmaster, he shoved the anger back down in order to better look at the letter he had just removed. His name was written clearly on the front in Sirius's hand.

_If what Blackstone said is true then he wrote this right before he left for the Ministry._

**Harry,**

**If you are reading this letter than it means that I am no longer with you and for that I am truly sorry. Sorry that I was too reckless to sit at home where I was safe, but to sit at home when others were out fighting was never something I did well. I sit here writing this as the Order is getting ready to head to the Ministry, and I realize that I may never get to speak with you again. A saddening thought believe me, but as that is the case there are a few things that you need to be made aware of. Firstly, you are my sole heir Harry, as my godson if something happens to me you get everything that I haven't specifically given away. Secondly, in my Will I enclosed a copy of your parent's Will, as I know you never got to see it. The contents of their Will should prove interesting to you. Finally and most importantly, I love you Harry. I couldn't love you any more if you were my own flesh and blood. You are like a son to me regardless of whose blood you have. I can't leave without knowing that if something does happen to me you will know this. There is so much of your parents in you and at the same time you are also your own person. For a while now I have thought of you as my own son and I want to make it official. I don't want to replace James, I could never do that, but I love you as a father loves his son and even if it's only on paper I want that fact to be known. I have enclosed adoption papers and Moony and Tonks signed as witnesses. All the papers need is your signature. If you sign you will legally be my son and would be entitled to my last name but as I said I don't want to replace your parents or make light of the sacrifice they made to keep you alive. Nonetheless I want you, if you agree, to have something that is mine, so I ask that you take another middle name, Orion. I know what you're thinking, oh great another star name, but it's a family tradition and it's also my own middle name. I leave the choice up to you. I have some advice to share with you before I leave. Live life Harry and live hard. If there is one thing I learned from Azkaban it's that you can never go back. Make the most out of he time you have. I could ramble on for hours but we are about to go. Remember Harry, don't grieve for me, if I go I go down fighting, as I would want to. I go down protecting you, and I can think of no more worthy a cause to go for. Live, Laugh and Love Harry, I'll be watching you.**

**I love you,**

**Padfoot **

There was no stopping the tears this time, nor did Harry want to.

_He really did love me_

While it seemed an obvious thought, Harry had gone 11 years knowing that his relatives did not love or care about him. After he had cried for a few moments his thoughts turned to the offer his godfather had made him, an offer he defiantly intended to accept.

He took the adoption papers and signed once with his full name, Harry James Potter and then at the bottom signed with his new name, Harry James Orion Potter. The scroll then disappeared but Harry barely took notice of it. An odd feeling was creeping through his body as he took his Godfather's letter to read again. It took Harry a little while to recognize the feeling; it was love, pure, unconditional love. His godfather had loved him so much that he had gone to save him, even at the risks to his own life, loved him enough to want to make him his son even if he never got to see it happen.

Harry was so absorbed in the letter that he never saw his eyes glow softly and gain a pure white outline. For the first time that summer there was simply no gloom or grief and the entire room was filled with a presence of peace.

Harry felt like a huge weight had been taken off his shoulders, and as he looked at the picture of his father, godfather, and mother that lay by his bed he made a decision.

"I reckon I've spent more time grieving over him then he would have liked, but no more. It's ok to miss him, and I will, but I will also honor his memory by taking his advice, I'll never get this time back so I'm going to start living my way. First off, no more being caged in, he hated it and so do I, and that starts with getting to that Will reading."

Harry smiled, turned to Hedwig and said, " Do you mind making a quick delivery girl, I think there is a goblin that may have an answer to my problem of getting to the Will reading."

Harry sat and wrote a quick note to Blackstone, describing his situation, the headmaster's plans, his need for help, and his lack of transportation. Signing it using his new name he gave it to Hedwig and watched as she soared out into the sky.

_I'll be free like that soon. Dumbledore thinks that I will do whatever he says, that he's seen all the surprises he is going to see from me, well I'm the son and godson of the __Marauders__ and it's time to start acting like it. _

Harry laughed as he pictured the look on the Dumbledore's face when he showed up at the reading.

_Headmaster, you haven't seen anything yet. _

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Selena paced in front of the old amulet, willing it to light up.

_Come on you stupid amulet, lets see some glowing._

"Selena, have you ever heard the expression a watched pot never boils?" Talasien asked.

Selena turned from her pacing to glare at him.

_You and your expressions, and that one doesn't even make sense. If you watch a pot eventually it will boil. Therefore, if I watch the amulet, eventually it will glow, therefore I am right and you are wrong, I win and you loose, end of discussion._

Talasien laughed, Selena could get pretty cranky and irrational when she was nervous, even more so if she was waiting for something. Of course his laughter only drew a more intense glare from Selena but he couldn't help it.

" Hey Selena, I have somethign very important to tell you," he told her in a serious voice, after his laughter had subsided.

_What is it?_

"You have to turn around first."

Selena turned and the first thing that she saw were the runes on the amulet, runes that were glowing a bright yellow, as the sky began to darken and lighting struck from the sky. She watched the amulet until the lightning had stopped and the glow had faded. She was about to turn around when the runes began to glow again. This time the amulet was surrounded by a pure white light and the dark woods seemed to brighten.

Selena smiled, and her bad mood vanished, that was two more elements the lonely cub had awoken, four down, five to go.

_What is it that you wanted to tell me Loki?_

Talasien who had seen the glow of the amulet start almost directly after she had turned from it smirked and said simply, " I win."

Selena gave an exasperated growl while Talasien laughed.

" The elements of lighting and light have been awoken"


	5. Chapter 4: Life is but a Walking Shadow

Title: Harry Potter and the Elemental Destiny

Author: Elemental Destiny

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K Rowling does. I just mess around with her characters. Anyone you don't recognize is my own creation.

Summary: With 5th year over, Harry is stuck in a deep depression. Yet with his 16th birthday approaching he will come to learn that not all magic is wizarding magic, not everything dark is evil, and that sometimes the correct path to follow is lying right before your eyes. AU Post OotP

A/N: Hi Everybody! Here we are again at the start of a new chapter. I'm sorry that it took so long, real life has been annoying and I've had massive writer's block with this chapter. Thanks as always go out to all my reader's and reviewer's. Your thoughts and opinions mean a great deal to me so keep them coming, reviews are always appreciated. Ok one last thing. Lightning and light are two totally different elements and are ruled by completely different emotions. I will be getting more into the individual elements and what they can do later on after Harry has his element but to sum it up. Lightning is electricity/energy. It can among other things be called down from the skies or formed in the hand like an energy ball. Light is a more passive power and it can help alter the mood of a room among other things that I will be getting into later. Don't worry, eventually all will be explained about the different elements and their uses and the abilities that can be used by druids who master them. Well that finishes another long A/N, so I hope I cleared up everything people were wondering about. Happy Reading!

_Italics _– thoughts

Chapter 4: Life is but a Walking Shadow

Harry awoke on the day of the Will reading feeling nervous but also determined. He had not yet heard back from Blackstone and if he didn't more drastic measures would need to be taken.

I know that there are guards watching me but the important question is could I get by them if I had to.

Harry looked at his desk where both his wand and his invisibility cloak lay. He had a plan to get out but if the goblins at Gringotts could give him a way to get to the Will reading it would be so much easier and definitely less risky. Harry knew that if Mad-Eye was his guard that day then his plan would be ruined.

His eye would see right through my cloak. Damn it! Come on Blackstone, don't let me down.

By ten o'clock Harry had all but given up hope of getting help from the goblins and was making his way to the door when he heard a swishing sound by his window. Harry turned around and saw a large barn owl perched on his window. Hurrying quickly over to the bird he took the letter that was attached to its feet. Turning the letter over Harry grinned as he saw the Gringotts seal. Harry sat at the chair on his desk and ripped the letter open.

**Dear Mr. Potter,**

**I must say your letter was quite intriguing. Did you know Mr. Potter that to stop a person from going to a Will reading is illegal by Goblin law? If for no other reason than that we at Gringotts would help you. The fact that Albus Dumbledore is behind this gives us another reason to help. I will speak plainly Mr. Potter; we goblins have no love for Albus Dumbledore. We are a race that values secrecy and privacy and Dumbledore is forever poking his large nose in business that has nothing to do with him. It seems that we have much more to talk about than I previously planned. There will be time to talk after the Will reading but for that talk to happen you first must get to the Will reading. This letter will turn into a portkey as soon as you finish reading it and will bring you directly to my office. From there we will proceed to the will reading. Gather the belongings that you wish to take with you and when you are ready grab the letter and say "Time Is ****Galleons"****, which will activate the portkey and bring you to Gringotts. I look forward to speaking with you face to face and am glad that we at Gringotts could be of help.**

**Sincerely,**

**Blackstone**

**Black Family Account Manager**

Harry grin widened as he walked over to the desk and grabbed his wand and after a moment of hesitation grabbed his invisibility cloak as well. Reasoning with himself that it didn't hurt to be prepared.

Taking one last look around the room, he made sure that he wasn't forgetting anything and after a quick look at the clock, which read 10:30, he decided to head over to Gringotts.

"Time is Galleons"

Harry felt a jerking sensation behind his naval and then vanished from the room.

--

In an office at Gringotts the Black Family Account Manager, Blackstone, was quickly looking over some papers he had received regarding the late head of house, Sirius Black. He also kept looking at a spot just inches from the door to his office as though waiting for something. A loud crash told him that his waiting was over.

"Good Morning Mr. Potter" said Blackstone.

Harry, who had just landed in a heap on the floor, looked up towards the voice and when he realized where he was and whom he was with returned the greetings

"Good Morning Blackstone, and thank you for arranging my transportation here," Harry said

"No trouble at all Mr. Potter, we couldn't hold Mr. Black's Will reading without his son there now could we." Replied Blackstone

Harry, after hearing Blackstone's reply was shocked.

_How did he know, sure I signed the letter I sent to him with my new name but still how could he have known. _

Blackstone smiled, well as close to smiled as any goblin could and said, " You Godfather left two copies of his Will, one to be read if you were only his godson, and another to be read if you were his actual son. "

Blackstone then picked up the papers that he had previously been looking at.

"That's what these papers are for, they came early this morning and explained the situation" he explained to Harry.

"Does anyone know that Sirius made two Wills?" Harry asked.

"Only Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks who signed as witnesses to the wills. It should prove to be a most interesting Will reading, a Will reading that we will be late to if we don't get a move on. If you will follow me, Mr. Potter" Blackstone replied while heading for the door.

Harry smiled, knowing Sirius, interesting was likely to be a huge understatement.

--

While Harry and Blackstone made their way to the Will reading, others were beginning to arrive. The Weasley family along with Hermione was seated in chairs near the front of the room.

Remus Lupin and Nymphaora Tonks were seated together near the far corner and though they looked grieved there was also a nervous look about them as they scanned the room, looking for a certain black-haired youth.

While the room was filled with the people who would best remember and miss Sirius, there were also those who were there solely for the possibility of money. The Malfoy family minus its recently incarcerated head was seated near the podium in the front of the room, along with a man who was obviously their solicitor.

Just as the goblin guarding the door to the room was about to close it, Albus Dumbledore walked in and took a seat near the Weasely's. The guard, looking at the time shut the door and took up a stance in front of it, the message clear; no one was getting in or out until the reading was over. Never let it be said that the goblins did not take their business seriously.

As the door shut, another goblin that stood in front of the podium began to speak.

"Welcome, this is the Will reading of Sirius Orion Black, head of the Noble and Ancient House of Black, 12:00 pm on July the 27th. I am Thorndike and I work in the inheritance department here at Gringotts. Now there are a few people who are required to be here so if you will respond when your name is called we can move along." Thorndike said, quickly casting his gaze around the room.

"Remus Lupin"

"Here" Remus said, standing for a moment before returning to his seat.

"Nymphadora Tonks"

"Here" she said, also standing briefly.

"Andromeda Tonks"

"Here"

"The Weasley Family"

"Here"

"Hermione Granger"

"Here"

"Albus Dumbledore"

"Here"

"Harry Potter"

All those present began to look around, expecting to see the black-haired youth before he responded, but not a sound was heard.

Dumbledore quickly jumped from his seat and addressed Thorndike.

"I'm afraid that Mister Potter is unable to attend. He has asked me to come here in his stead to represent his wishes in all matters regarding the Will."

Thorndike smiled, though it was not a kind smile but rather an evil one. He looked at Dumbledore and then turned his gaze to the area behind the podium.

"What say you to that Blackstone?" he asked.

"I say that for the Will to be read Mister Potter needs to be here, as per Mister Black's instructions."

Those assembled for the reading saw another goblin pass through a door behind the podium and come to stand by Thorndike's side.

"Allow me to make introductions, this is Blackstone, the Black family account manager and keeper of Mister Black's will, he is also the only one who is allowed to read it, so as the muggles say, this is his show."

All at once people began to speak, Dumbledore was arguing with the two goblins, while the Malfoy's spoke with their solicitor and the Weasley family spoke amongst themselves. The only two who looked unsurprised were Remus and Tonks and even they were beginning to look a little worried.

It was due to all of this commotion that no one saw the back door open again, nor the person who entered the room from it.

"I've told you Mister Dumbledore that the will cannot be read without Mister Potter's presence." Blackstone said.

"I have also told you that Mister Potter cannot attend, he has asked me to come in his stead and represent him, surely that must count for something." Argued Dumbledore

"Funny, I don't really remember asking you to do anything of the sort Headmaster" a cold voice spoke from near the back door.

Just as quickly as the pandemonium began it ended as all fell silent to look at Harry as he began to walk to the podium. After exchanging a quick look with the goblins he walked over to the seats. He sat down between Remus and Tonks, shocking both the Weasley's and Dumbledore.

After looking around at the still silent crowd he said, "What, was it something I did?"

Dumbledore who had finally gotten over his shock, addressed his student firmly,

"Harry, what are you doing here its not safe for you to be away from your Aunt's, I told you that it wasn't necessary for you to be here."

"I don't know what you're talking about Headmaster, I feel perfectly safe with the goblins, and as for it not being necessary for me to come, seeing as my name was called it looks like you can't really read the will without me." Harry said calmly.

"However," he continued, "Since you have a problem with me being here maybe we should just get on with the will so I can leave. I am ready when you are Blackstone."

"Of course Mister Potter, seeing how everyone is here if you will all be seated we can begin."

Blackstone placed a large sphere in the center of the podium and after speaking a few hushed words of his native tongue; the sphere began to glow and from it rose an image of Sirius.

"Right then, Blackstone is this thing on? It is, and it will catch all I say? It will, ok good. Hey everyone, if your seeing this then I've gone and snuffed it, hopefully as bravely and heroically as humanly possible. Not by slipping on a banana peel and falling into traffic like James always predicted but that's a story for a different time. Now is the time to be official, I have a will to read and stuff to give away. Whenever you are ready Blackstone my friend." Sirius said.

" Now for those of you who don't know, this is what we goblins call an echo, very similar to your wizarding Pensive, we take a bit of a persons magic and put it in the sphere along with the memory they have of saying their will and this is the result. It is efficient and also a great way to insure that a will is authentic, so now let us hear what Mister Black has to say." Blackstone said.

"I'm ready when you are Mister Black." Blackstone said.

"Right, now on to the important and legal stuff. I, Sirius Orion Black, being of sound mind and body, do herby state my last Will and Testament. Shut up Moony I am of sound mind. I decree that the following of my possessions be distributed to the following people. "

"To my friend and fellow Marauder Remus Lupin, I leave ¼ of the contents of my vault. Use it well and get yourself some new robes, maybe a certain pink haired young women could help you pick them out." Sirius said, with his trademark mischievous look.

"To my darling cousin Nymphadora Tonks, whose full name I can finally saw without getting hurt, I leave ¼ of the contents of my vault. Live it up Nymphy; get away from the ministry if you want to. Maybe have lunch with a certain older wolf, who knows, life is your oyster. "

"To my cousin Andromeda, you were one of the best parts of the family and they threw you away. Well as one of my last acts as the head of the Noble and Ancient house of Black, I welcome you back into the family. You will find that your old vault is waiting for you and maybe it has some extra surprises for you. Also since you are back in the family so are your husband and daughter. A muggle and a half-blood on the Black family tree, take that mother."

"To the Weasley family I leave ¼ of the contents of my vault. Molly, I know we might not have always agreed but I will always be grateful for what you have done for Harry. Thank you all for helping Harry when I could not. You are really the only family he has known and I will be forever grateful that he met Ron on the train. Use the money well. Also for the twins there may be a little surprise for you in the vault, you know from one troublemaker to another."

"To Hermione Granger, you remind me so much of Lily. Thank you for being Harry's friend and for being so loyal to him throughout the years. I leave you the contents of the Black family library, don't worry anything of an unsavory nature has been removed. Enjoy them."

"To Ron Weasley, I leave you my chess set. I was never really an avid player so the pieces are quite new. I heard you are quite the strategist so have fun. Thank you for being Harry's friend."

"To Albus Dumbledore, I leave you the deed to the house so it may continue to be used in the fashion that it is currently being used in. I'm not happy with you Albus and the choices you have made for my godson. I also have a feeling that very soon you will not be very happy with me."

"To any of my family that showed up expecting money, I leave you a Knut and bid you a good life." The echo of Sirius grinned mischievously as if he knew exactly who would show up to receive the Knut."

"Finally to my son, Harry Potter. Yes I said son not godson, I've been very busy these last few weeks that is only one of the changes that I have put into motion. The rest of the changes I will put into motion now. Firstly, Harry, after this will is finished if you will go with Blackstone he will help you sign the emancipation papers that I have left. They are already signed by me and are awaiting your signature. I never liked being caged in and you shouldn't have to be. You have enough money between your parents vault and mine to buy a nice house somewhere, so go get away from the Dursley's. Next, once those papers are signed you are considered an adult in the eyes of the wizarding world and can use magic outside of school. Also since you are considered an adult you can get into your parents vault as well as become the head of the house of Potter. You get a lordship ring and it's a bit of a process but I know your father left you instructions that are in your family vault. Finally, as my heir you become the next head of the noble and ancient house of Black, and are entitled to the Black family lordship ring. I leave you everything that I have not already given away. Your parents gave their lives for you so you could live, so start living Harry. Have fun kiddo, I love you and I'll be watching you."

"Well I guess this ends my will, hopefully by this time I'll be up in heaven with James and annoying some angles or something. Don't mourn me too much. Remember, the Dog Star will always be looking out for you. Goodbye."

With his final words completed the echo of Sirius sank back into the sphere and the glowing stopped. With the will complete Blackstone scooped up the sphere and said,

"Well this concludes the last will and testament of Sirius Orion Black. Mr. Potter if you will come with me we will get your paperwork and affairs set in order. For the rest of you, if you will speak to Thorndike prior to leaving he will answer any questions you have."

Harry rose from his seat and made to follow Blackstone when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He knew without looking who the hand belonged too, and steeled himself for the fight that he knew was about to take place.

"Can I help you with something Headmaster?" Harry asked in a would be nonchalant voice.

"Harry, it is not safe for you to be here. I am astounded that you so blatantly disregarded my orders and would put you life at risk just to see what money was left to you." Dumbledore said.

"Money, you think that the reason I came to this Will reading was to see what money I could get. Do you even have any idea who I am?" Harry asked his voice barely above a whisper.

Dumbledore started to speak again but Harry cut him off, his voice growing louder as he spoke.

"I used to think of you as a mentor, a friend, someone who I could trust to know what to do and what was the best thing for me. I know now that the only person whose best interest you were looking out for was yours, yours and the world. Who cares if a child grows up alone and friendless as long as he is humble and obedient? Who cares if a child grows up without love as long as he will do as he's told? Who cares what happens to a child as long as he is able to save the world."

Harry continued to speak as the crowd around the two of them grew larger. The attention of the group was so focused on the pair that people failed to notice the light dimming as the shadows around the room grew larger.

"I've had it with you Dumbledore; you are the headmaster of my school and nothing more. I am the lord and head of two powerful families and in a few minutes will be considered an adult in the eyes of the wizarding world. I refuse to be caged in anymore. I'm tired of having my expectations crushed, tired of having my heart betrayed. Take your order and leave me alone Headmaster, I will see you in September." Harry told him, turning quickly and stalking off after Blackstone.

It was due to his quick exit that none of the assembled saw his eyes, normally emerald green in color, were outlined in a deep grey and that the enlarged shadows seemed to come alive as he passed.

--

" Well, that certainly fell under the category of interesting." Blackstone commented after he and Harry had returned to his office.

" With my godfather were you really expecting anything less," Harry, said in a low voice.

Blackstone sighed as he looked at the young man in front of him. Not even 16 and head of two powerful families, about to be emancipated, and if the conversation he had heard during the Will reading was an indicator, possessing of many personal and trust issues.

" I took the liberty of having the instructions that Mr. Black talked about be brought up from your family vault, along with the lordship rings for both the House of Black and the House of Potter. Also I have a copy of your parents will that Mr. Black left with me. If you will sign at the bottom of this paper Mr. Potter you will be officially emancipated and considered an adult by wizarding standards, it will also allow us to deal with all matters pertaining to your lordship status. " Blackstone told Harry, passing both a paper and a quill to him.

Harry took a deep breath as he stared at the paper that already bore his godfather's signature.

This is it; after I sign this there is no going back. My parents saved my life so I could live it, so it is time to start living.

Harry signed the bottom of the paper and only jumped slightly as it vanished.

" It is being sent to a department in the Ministry of Magic, this way they will know to take your wand off the radar and such. " Blackstone explained after seeing the confused look on Harry's face.

" Now onto other business, you have two lordship rings, both passed to you by your fathers. You place the Potter ring on your middle finger so show your connection by blood to the House of Potter. You place the Black ring on your index finger to show your connection by way of the heart to the House of Black. " Blackstone explained as Harry placed each ring on the specified finger.

" Now onto the last piece of business, your parents Will. I don't have the full copy only a part of the Will that your Godfather thought you might be interested in." Blackstone explained as he handed over a piece of paper to Harry.

Harry looked at the front of the page where a small note was written in Sirius's hand.

**Harry, **

**What you are going to read may upset you but I feel that you deserve to know why you ended up with the Dursley's. This section of your parents Will should help to explain the absence of Moony and other friends of your parents in your life, I know you always wondered why one of them didn't take you in. Be careful, Dumbledore is not happy about all this, that much I know and once you read this I think your opinion of him will change even more. I love you! **

**Sirius **

Getting more nervous by the second Harry turned his eyes to the section of his parents Will

**We, James and Lily Potter being of sound mind and body do herby state the wishes for our son Harry James Potter in the event of our death.**

**Our son is to be placed in the custody of the following people in the order they are listed.**

**- Sirius Black (Godfather) **

**- Remus Lupin (Close family friend) **

**- Frank and Alice Longbottom (Close family friends) **

**- Molly and Arthur Weasley **

**In the event that none of these families are able to take him in we ask that a suitable family be found that are willing to take him in, and if none can be found to place him in a wizarding orphanage. Under no circumstances is he to be given to his maternal Aunt and Uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley, as we would fear for his safety and well-being. **

**X** James Potter** X **Lily Potter

Witness

**X **Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

" He knew"

"Mr. Potter, are you alright?" Asked Blackstone as he looked at the emotionless expression on Harry's face."

" He knew that my parents didn't want me at the Dursley's, they said they would rather have me in an orphanage then be placed with them. He signed off as the witness and yet he went against their wishes. I could have lived with Remus, Neville and me could have been brothers, or I could have grown up with the Weasley's. He knew all along and yet he condemned me to live with them. " He spoke in a cold voice. Bitterness flowed through his entire being as it warred with the sorrow the letter had invoked.

The temperature of the room began to drop rapidly and Harry's normally emerald eyes gained a frozen look and became outlined in a light blue. Seemingly oblivious to the other occupant of the room he paced back and forward and let the knowledge of the lives he could have had fill his mind.

Blackstone was unable to move as he watched the sorrow and bitterness practically roll off the young man in front of him. Yet he felt the temperature begin to drop and knew it had to have something to do with the young wizard.

" Mr. Potter " He called, trying to catch his client's attention.

" Mr. Potter" He tried again.

Finally after a few more calls Harry looked up and the blue left his eyes returning them to their normal emerald color.

" Sorry," Harry said.

" Its alright Mr. Potter, I take it that what you saw was a bit much to handle." Blackstone told him

" You could say that," Harry agreed.

Harry took a calming breath and asked," So, what now?"

" There is nothing else that we have to do here, so if you like you can take the portkey that brought you here back to your home." Blackstone answered.

For the first time that day, Harry smiled, a real smile that reached his eyes.

" Its not my home anymore, but I should probably go back to get my stuff before I move out. Thank you for all of your help Blackstone. I'll probably be in touch soon." Harry said.

" Not a problem Mr. Potter it has been a pleasure. I look forward to working with you in the future." Blackstone said as he watched the young man leave.

--

Loki, come quick.

" Well, let's see what our young druid has awakened this time." Talasien said as he moved from the fire to stand beside his familiar.

The runes on the amulet gained a dark grey color and the light around the campfire seemed to die down as the shadow gained strength. Soon thought the runes turned a light blue and the temperature dropped quickly as the bucket of water that stood by the campfire froze. The amulet then returned to its normal state as the temperature returned to normal.

_He is doing better with the awakenings, that's six down and three to go and he has about four days left._

" Yes, he is doing better. I wish the days would hurry and pass though, I have a bad feeling about something and the sooner we get to him, the sooner we can help him and get him to the high council.

I know the feeling you have, I have it too. Like this mission is something more than what the council has told us. I guess all we can do for now is be patient until we can go to the cub.

Talasien nodded and said, " The elements of shadow and ice have been awoken"


	6. Chapter 5: Take to the Skies

Title: Harry Potter and the Elemental Destiny

Author: Elemental Destiny

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K Rowling does. I just mess around with her characters. Anyone you don't recognize is my own creation.

Summary: With 5thyear over, Harry is stuck in a deep depression. Yet with his 16th birthday approaching he will come to learn that not all magic is wizarding magic, not everything dark is evil, and that sometimes the correct path to follow is lying right before your eyes. AU Post OotP

A/N: Wow, could it be an update. I know I took a long time and for that I am sorry but I hope to make it up to all of my faithful readers. As I post this chapter I already have chapters 6, 7, and 8 all ready to go and will be posting one chapter a day. My heartfelt thanks as always go out to all of my readers and reviewers who have stuck with me through the long wait. You guys are awesome! All reviews are as always greatly appreciate if you can spare the time. Well, on to chapter 5. Happy Reading!

_Italics _= Thoughts

Chapter 5: Take to the Skies

Almost as quickly as he had left, Harry found himself back in his small, familiar room at Privet Drive

_The room may look the same but I am definitely a different person than I was this morning_.

Harry thought as he looked down at his hand, which bore the two lordship rings that marked his heritage. The aforementioned hand was also holding the emancipation papers that marked him as an adult in the eyes of the wizarding world.

Looking at the emancipation papers gave Harry an idea and with a gleeful smile he pulled out his wand and summoned his photo album from its place on the bed. Still reveling in the feeling of being able to do magic during the summer he walked over to Hedwig's cage and sat down.

" It's really happening Hedwig, I'm almost free." He told her, patting her gently on the head.

She hooted happily in response and for several moments Harry stayed where he was, enjoying the quiet time with his oldest friend and most beloved pet. Finally though, a thought drew him from his peaceful state.

_I can't stay here, at least not for very much longer. I may be one up on Dumbledoreright now but I can't give him time to recover or my chance at freedom will just be a memory. I probably have until the morning before Dumbledore either comes himself or sends someone from the order to come talk to me. Unfortunately for them, I have no plans on being here when anyone arrives. _

These thoughts spurred his actions; he jumped up and began to pack at a feverish pace, running to and fro to make sure he had everything he wanted to take. He then placed everything in his trunk and with a quick wave of his wand shrunk the trunk to the size of a matchbox, once again smiling at being able to use magic during summer break.

With his materials packed and ready he sat down on the bed to think about the much larger problem, where was he going to go?

_It doesn't have to be anywhere permanent, just someplace to go where the order won't find me until I can find a more stable place to stay. _

As he sat thinking he absently turned the pages of his photo album. When he came to the picture of Sirius during his parent's wedding an idea struck. Harry sat up and smiled, he knew the perfect place to go, even if it would take a little while to get there.

With the idea firmly in mind he sat down at his desk to make plans. After several minutes of intense concentration he had his plan down. Using the cover of night and his trusted broomstick and invisibility cloak he would fly to Hogsmeade. Once there he would take up residence in the old cave where Sirius had stayed during the Triwizard tournament.

Harry didn't know how long it would take but with his invisibility cloak he could fly during the day if he needed to and could stop for breaks without being detected. All in all it seemed like a foolproof plan, all he needed now was to take care of a few details.

One of these details was food. Taking a large bag out of his closet he went downstairs to the kitchen and started placing all kinds of food into his bag. One of the advantages of living with Dudley was that food often went missing so Harry didn't have to worry about his relatives complaining.

Taking the now full bag back up to his room, he cast a quick cooling charm on the bag to keep the food from spoiling. He returned his trunk to normal size and took out his Firebolt, and invisibility cloak. After stowing the bag of food in the trunk, he shrunk it again and placed it into his pocket.

He looked over his room once more to check for missing items and after finding that everything was where it should be he walked over and once again sat down next to Hedwig.

" All we can do now is wait for nightfall Hedwig, then we take to the skies."

Hedwig hooted in response and the pair sat there for the rest of the day, waiting for the moon to rise.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The moon was high in the night sky and all the inhabitants of Privet Drive were nestled safely in their beds sound asleep, all but one.

Harry paced nervously around his room until he decided that it was dark enough to set off. He had released Hedwig several hours ago and had told her to meet him at the cave. Her shrunken cage was currently in his pocket along with his trunk. Throwing his invisibility cloak on, he crept slowly downstairs and soundlessly entered the backyard.

He pulled out his wand and a simple sticking charm held his cloak to him, making him completely invisible. He mounted his broom and took a deep breath.

This is it; everything is going to change now. Once I do this there is no turning back unless I want to basically be kept prisoner by the Order. I have to do this, it is my life and I don't want to spend it caged in. Sirius was right, my parents gave their lives for me so that I could live, and that is what I am going to do starting right now.

After taking another calming breath he pushed off from the ground and soared into the open skies.

His nervousness left him immediately as rose higher and higher. He had forgotten just how much he loved flying due his Quidditch ban. He looped in and out of the air heading towards London, intending to follow the train tracks to Hogwarts and then fly over to Hogsmeade.

He looked up at the sky as he flew passing by a small red bird. He smiled and realized that up here, invisible to all, he was free. As he was reveling in his freedom however the sky began to change.

The winds started to pick up drastically and Harry's eyes gained a light blue outline. The trees shook and bent due to the force of the wind and the wind itself practically howled. Harry however was oblivious to everything except the free feeling that flying gave him. He bent down low over his broom and asked it for more speed as he soared, invisible among the stars.

The winds gave extra speed to the already superior boom, so much extra speed that Harry was able to see the outline of Hogwarts as the sun rose early the next morning.

With the invisibility cloak still securely around him he finished the trip, landing softly outside of where he remembered the entrance of the cave to be. It took a little looking but he was eventually able to find the cave and he set to work making it habitable. Setting a fire in the middle of the cave he re-sized his trunk and took out the bag of food and helped himself to a good breakfast.

After his breakfast Harry found a comfortable spot on the floor of the cave and slept, the events of the past night catching up with him. His sleep was not meant to be peaceful though and his dreams were filled with the green light of the curse that had killed his parents and the red light of the Stunning spell that had cost him his Godfather.

Harry shot up from the floor of the cave and sat panting for some time, his thoughts taking on a darker feel.

Why is it that everyone I love dies? No, they don't just die they are murdered. Killed in cold blood all of them, Dad, Mum, Sirius.

Dad you were the first to go. Murdered for defying Voldemort, for trying to give Mum time to grab me and run. Murdered for loving and protecting your family, for fighting for the ones you loved most.

Mum you were next. You died for me, for the baby you had only known for 1 year. Voldemort told you to move, that he didn't have to kill you. You refused though Mum. You refused to let him haveme, refused to give up your son's life in place of your own. Killed for being a mother, for wanting to and doing anything to protect your child from harm.

Finally there was you Sirius. Killed because you were trying to help me. Voldemort sent me his stupid vision and I fell right into his hands. You couldn't stay, could you? Couldn't sit in that house alone knowing that I was in trouble. You came and fought and Bellatrixfired the last spell, cast you into the veil with glee simply for trying to protect me and for being a traitor to your family.

I've made so many mistakes but it isn't all my fault. Every single murder can be traced back to one person, Voldemort. He killed my parents, killed Cedric. He released that bitch from Azkabanand if she had been locked up Sirius would still be alive. If Voldemortnever existed, my parents would still be alive.

The cave began to darken as Harry entertained the thoughts that had always been there in the back of his mind but had never been brought to the front of his focus.

He has killed so many people, for no reason, in cold blood. He enjoys watching them die, watching them suffer. He has made my entire life miserable. It is his fault I lived with the Dursley's, his fault I can't go through one single school year without some mystery of problem that I have to solve. It is his fault that every bloody person in the wizarding world knows who I am.

He has made my life miserable and destroyed my family. I hate him!

With this final thought the fire was put out by a dark aura that was quickly filling the cave, spreading out from Harry himself. His normally vivid green eyes gained a black outline as he shook from the force of his hatred.

After some time Harry heard a soft hoot near the entrance of the cave. When he laid eyes on Hedwig, the black aura died out and his eyes returned to their normal color.

" Hedwig," he called softly.

Hedwig gave an exhausted hoot in response and came further into the cave.

Harry smiled at her, surprised to find that he felt lighter than he had in months. He returned her cage to normal size and left her to sleep.

Time passed slowly that day and it was only later, once the sun had gone down that he realized that it was the 30th, the day before his birthday.

After making himself dinner he sat down in what had become a sort of tradition for him, to wait for midnight and the start of his birthday.

Some more time passed and as he looked at his watch it read 11:58.

He smiled and said " Happy Birthday Harry."

The smile was wiped abruptly from his face when the clock struck 12 and brought with it a wave of agony. He screamed and dropped to the floor as pain raked through his body. He thrashed aimlessly as seconds passed in what seemed like hours.

He closed his eyes and saw colors flash before them in rapid succession. Red, dark blue, green, black, white, yellow, grey, light blue. Flashes that repeated themselves endlessly, constantly moving, constantly changing. Finally though he felt himself begin to fade. His vision and hearing dulled though he faintly heard a distant, frantic howling on the wind.

As he felt himself fade he struggled to open his eyes despite the blinding pain, determined to find out what was happening to him.

When he finally managed to open them again he screamed for a final time before passing gratefully out of consciousness. His vision, while blurred before was now gone, in its place he saw a color, only one color, a glorious and glowing silver.


	7. Chapter 6: Druids, A History

Title: Harry Potter and the Elemental Destiny

Author: Elemental Destiny

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K Rowling does. I just mess around with her characters. Anyone you don't recognize is my own creation.

Summary: With 5th year over, Harry is stuck in a deep depression. Yet with his 16th birthday approaching he will come to learn that not all magic is wizarding magic, not everything dark is evil, and that sometimes the correct path to follow is lying right before your eyes. AU Post OotP

A/N: Well here we go, there is no turning back now, as Harry is about to wake up and discover his heritage as a druid. This chapter should clear up any questions about the druids in my story and is thankfully one of the last chapters of back-story. After this we can start getting to heart of the story. Thanks for all of the support you guys rock!! Well here it is, chapter 6. Happy Reading!

_Italics _= Thoughts

Chapter 6: Druids, A History

Harry groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that he wasn't in the cave anymore. The sun shone down on his face as he looked up into the bright blue sky. As he looked around he realized that he was in some kind of forest if the trees all around him were any hint.

He moved slowly but even the slow motion hurt his back. The pain triggered his memories of the night before.

Pain, thrashing, colors so bright, so many, vision dulling, hearing dulling, howl on the wind, pain, screaming, opening eyes, and piercing silver.

He immediately fell silent as the memories returned. After taking a few moments to calm his breathing he slowly and carefully opened his eyes again, peering around him. His breath caught in his throat as he saw the massive grey form lying to his left. After some careful observation he determined that, strange as it was, it had to be a wolf.

That would explain the howling I heard.

Harry thought as he subtly tried to move away from the wolf.

" You don't have to do that," a voice called, making Harry freeze.

" She wont hurt you, she has spent many nights guarding you, making sure that nothing would happen to you." The voice called again.

"Who are you? Where are you?" Harry questioned quickly, managing to sit up despite his discomfort.

Harry heard a soft chuckle and quickly turned his head around. Out of a grouping of trees strode a tall man in a brown, travel worn cloak. His face was kind and when their eyes met; the man's amber colored ones seemed to shine with joy.

" Welcome back Harry, you've been asleep for some time," the man said.

"Who are you?" Harry questioned again, wary despite the kind look of the stranger.

He smiled secretively and said, " A friend, my name is Talasien, Talasien Darkhome."

" How do you know who I am?" Harry asked, still wary.

" I've been watching you for some time. Look, I can see that you are wary of me, and to be honest that is a good thing. With the enemies you have you shouldn't give out your trust so easily. However, I am no danger to you. If you desire proof of this besides the fact that if I wanted to harm you I could have done so during the 3 days in which you were unconscious well," The man paused in the middle of his speech and gave a sharp whistle.

A white owl dropped down from the treetops to land on his arm. The man began to pet the bird for the few moments it took Harry to recognize her.

" Hedwig!" Harry cried.

She hooted at him from her position on Talasien's arm.

"You owl would not be so calm and friendly if I meant you harm, you know she is smarter than that." Talasien told him.

Suddenly Harry's eyes lit up in recognition, Talasien's words connecting together several pieces in his mind.

" You are the one who sent me the dreamless sleep potion. It was signed from a friend and you said the same thing in the letter, to trust that Hedwig would know who would and wouldn't harm me." Harry said.

Talasien smiled again, " Yes, that was me. As I said I have been watching you for some time and when Hedwig came to me in such distress I knew she was worried about you, so I sent along something to help."

" You said again that you were watching me, how, why?" Harry asked.

Talasien sighed and said, " You have many questions Harry, I know, and you will get the answers to them I promise but you have to bear with me. There is a rather large story to tell and there is much that you need to know. Most of it is going to sound strange and some of it is frankly going to sound impossible. I need you to keep an open mind and to trust me when I say that I tell you only the truth."

Harry shot him a disillusioned look and said, " Why do I get the bad feeling that my life is about to get extremely complicated."

Talasien laughed and said, "As if it wasn't already. Besides, getting complicated, most definitely, confusing, absolutely, but rest assured, it isn't bad."

"Oh goody," Harry told him sarcastically.

Talasien smirked and said " Well first things first, there is a friend of mine that has simply been dying to meet you."

"Selena! Wake up!" Talsasien called out.

Harry began to look around, waiting for another person to join them. He was still looking when he heard an excited yip. He turned around and found himself facing the large wolf that had been sleeping next to him.

Selena walked over towards him and looked up at him, green eyes meeting silver.

_Hello Cub, it is good to see you up and about._

Harry jumped and backed away from Selena. He turned to Talasien and managed to stutter out, " It talks."

" She, Harry, she talks, well technically she is projecting her thoughts into your mind, but the explanation for that gets a bit complex. Simple terms, yes she talks. This is Selena, my friend and familiar. She has been pretty worried about you." Talasien explained.

" Um, right, ok. Can I talk back?" Harry asked.

_I can hear just fine cub. Simply talk to me as you would a normal human. I hear the same as you do; I just speak a little differently_.

"Oh, ok. Well um, nice to meet you Selena." Harry said with a hesitant smile that turned into a genuine one when she nuzzled her head against his hand before going to sit by Talasien.

" Just to clarify, it gets weirder than this right?" Harry questioned, not really wanting the answer.

"Harry, Harry, Harry, you have lived in the wizarding world for about 6 years now, have you ever found anything to do with magic to be normal."

Harry conceded him the good point and shook his head.

" Alright Harry explanation time. First major question, what do you know about druids?" Talasien asked him.

" Druids? I remember my friend Hermione was saying something about them when she was making us study for our History of Magic exam. I think they could do magic without a wand or something like that but I don't remember much else, I didn't think they really existed." Harry replied.

" Oh Druids are real Harry, very real. We just tend to keep to ourselves, and you are correct we don't require a wand to use magic. That is due to the fact that we only practice elemental magic and not the wizarding kind that you are used to." Talasien explained.

" Now when you say we you mean," Harry trailed off.

Talasien smiled, " Sharp aren't you, you assumption is correct. I didn't tell you my full name when we first met. I am Talasien, son of Earth, Earth druid of the Druidic Realm. "

" What doe you mean by son of Earth and what do you mean by earth druid." Harry asked, confused.

" I'll get into that a little later, for now just bare with me as I provide a bit of back-story. Now in the past, around the founder's of your school's time, druids were still living like the rest of the magic users. Known to those in the magical community and hidden from muggles, although it was easier for us to interact with muggles than for wizards. As time went on though, people began to get worried. Druids largely kept to ourselves and this made the other magic users nervous. After all we had a gift that was different so it automatically made it."

"Bad, evil, abnormal, take your pick" Harry interrupted.

" Bad, evil and abnormal." Talasien agreed.

"The world hasn't changed much, if it's different its bad, if it is different and some evil guys have used it, it makes you evil." Harry added.

" You are referring to your gift of parsoltoung, are you not?" Talsien inquired.

" How did you know? Wait, you are calling it a gift. When it came out in second year that I could speak parsoltoung people hated me, they though I was evil. Everyone says it is the sign of a dark wizard." Harry exclaimed.

" Harry you forget, I am no wizard. As for how I know, well lets just say that when I started watching you I did my research. As for parsoltoung being a gift, Harry there are hundreds of earth druids that would give their left arm to be able to speak to snakes. As an earth druid I can understand the emotions and thoughts of all animals but to be able to speak to them, that is a power that only an earth master has. It takes countless years of training to become that good. To us it is a precious gift indeed." Talasien told him.

"Oh," Harry said.

" However I digress from the story. As druids become more distrusted we started to move farther away from the other magic users. It got to the point that we stopped communicating with the others at all. Hence why wizards believe that we no longer exist. After the separation a druid master from each element was chosen to lead our people. They formed the first high council, which was lead by the shadow druid Kyron. "

" High Council?"

Talasien smirked at the confused look on Harry's face. "I know it is a lot to take in so don't be afraid to ask questions. The High Council is the body that governs the druidic realm, kind of like your Ministry of Magic. It is made up of a Druidic master of every element: Fire, Light, Ice, Lightning, Darkness, Water, Shadow, Earth, and Wind. "

"Ok got it, what happened next?" Harry asked, finding that history wasn't as boring when it was about something other than goblin rebellions and told by a person and not a ghost.

"The ancient high council sealed away a part of the great forest, making the druidic realm. It is still on earth but hidden very deeply by magic. Every druid is taught to form the portal that allows us to travel between worlds. " Talasien said.

"Ok not to be rude but how does any of this relate to me, I'm a wizard?" Harry asked.

" Not anymore," Talasien said simply.

"What!" Harry shouted.

"Tell me Harry, you have had a lot of strange things happen to you this past week right. Bursts of magic too powerful to be accidental?" Talasien replied.

Harry thought back to the past week. To Uncle Vernon's reaction that day in his room, he stepped back as if he had been burned. The mini earthquake he had caused in the park, and then the whole lightning incident.

"Ok, maybe some strange things have happened but what are you telling me, that I'm what, a druid." Harry asked sharply.

"That is exactly what I am saying Harry, those strange bursts of magic have happened nine times this past week, one time for each element. All druids are alike in that they come into their power at the start of their 16th birthday. In the time before that birthday all druidic children will awaken the nine elements that I mentioned"

" Awaken them?" Harry questioned.

" Something will happen that will cause them to feel an intense emotion and this emotion triggers the release of accidental elemental magic. That is called awakening an element. By the time they turn 16 all druidic children have experienced all nine elements. It prepares their body for the magical inheritance." Talasien said calmly.

" When they awaken these elements, do their eyes change color? I remember feeling really overwhelmed and I screamed and lightning literally jumped out of the sky. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and my eyes were rimmed in yellow." Harry said.

" Yes, the rim of the eyes gains the color of the element, in your case yellow for lightning." Talasien clarified.

"Ok, so I'm a druid, what makes me so special?" Harry asked defensively.

" Simply put, you weren't born in the druidic realm. We haven't ventured outside of our realm much. You are the first druidic child to be born outside of the druidic realm. That's why I have been watching you. I was asked by the high council to come to earth and find you, see you safely through your inheritance and bring you back to stand before the council." Taliesin explained.

" That's it, that is the only reason that they want to meet me?"

Talasien paled and said, " It is one of the reasons, the other the high council will discuss with you. I am not permitted to say. Sorry."

" Ok, so what now?" Harry asked.

" Well I am done explaining so unless you have any questions, we can get moving." Talsien told him.

_Loki, you forgot to tell him about the element masteries and different types of druids._

" Oh right I forgot, thanks Selena. Every druid has one main element. It is what fits in best with their personality. It is the element they learn to use and control." Talasien said.

" So a druid can only use one element?' Harry questioned.

" No, while we have only one main element that will be our strongest and easiest to use, a druid does have access to other elements. It is called having an affinity towards an element. Take me for example. I am an earth druid with affinities for water and light. I can use the gifts that come with my element and can also use some of the ones that go with the water and light elements." Talasien told him.

" Gifts?" Harry asked.

" Abilities. Each element has a range of different abilities that can be performed using elemental magic. For earth, we can understand the thoughts and emotions of all animals, control all kinds of plant life and manipulate the earth around us just to name a few. Abilities and gifts will mean more to you once you discover your element. " Talasien explained.

" When will I learn my main element and my affinities?" Harry asked.

" Once we get back to the druidic realm the high council will help you to determine what they are." Talasien responded.

" Any other questions?" Talasien asked.

" Yeah, just two. What is a familiar? You called Selena your familiar, but what is a familiar? Harry questioned.

The answer however came not from Talasien but from Selena.

"_A familiar is an animal companion that bonds with a druid after their 16__th__ birthday. This animal will protect and accompany their human for the rest of their lives. It is an intimate partnership; our lives and destinies become intertwined. No familiar has lasted long after their human has either died or been killed and few humans remain the same after the death of their familiar. Every druid has a familiar and he high council will help you find yours_.

" Does it happen often, the familiar dieing before the druid?" Harry questioned.

_Unless we are killed most familiars share the lifespan of their humans, dieing from grief after their human has passed. We may look to be normal animals but make no mistake Cub; there is strong magic about us._

" You familiar will become your best friend and most trusted ally, but to find out the answers to the rest of your questions we have to get to the high council. Now what about your other question? " Talasien asked.

" Oh yeah, your name, what do you mean by son of earth?" Harry inquired.

" Last names mean very little in the druidic world. In a way our element becomes our last name. It is what people define us by. They say that once you discover your main element, you become a child of that element. Hence my name being Talasien, my first name and then Son of Earth, or a child of the earth element. It really is only important during formal events and introductions as your friends will call you by your first name."

With that Talasien got up and walked farther into the empty clearing. He looked down and his face gained a look of deep concentration. Selena also wore the look as she stood by her human. After a few moments Talasien looked up and his amber eyes were outlined in a dark green as a ball of green energy gathered into his hands. After some time the energy began to expand outward forming a doorway.

" Come on Harry, I have all of your things with me. The high council awaits our arrival."

With that Talasien walked through the green portal and disappeared from sight. Harry didn't follow right away. The green portal glowed with magical energy, from a magic that Harry hadn't thought existed not even 20 minutes ago.

_Come on Cub, Talasien is strong but his portal won't last forever, we need to go through soon_.

"What isn't he telling me Selena, what do you two know that I don't?" Harry questioned.

Oh Cub, if I could I would tell you all you wanted to know but it is not my story to tell. The high council summoned my human and I to give us the task of bringing you to them. It is their story to tell you, don't worry though, your questions will be answered, there are few alive wiser than the high council. Come on now Cub, enough stalling, let us go.

With her answer she went beside Harry and using her head gave him a nudge towards the portal. With one last look around Harry stepped forward though the portal, Selena by his side.


	8. Chapter 7: Welcome to the Jungle

Title: Harry Potter and the Elemental Destiny

Author: Elemental Destiny

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K Rowling does. I just mess around with her characters. Anyone you don't recognize is my own creation. I also don't own the chapter title; it is the title of an awesome song by Guns N' Roses.

Summary: With 5th year over, Harry is stuck in a deep depression. Yet with his 16th birthday approaching he will come to learn that not all magic is wizarding magic, not everything dark is evil, and that sometimes the correct path to follow is lying right before your eyes. AU Post OotP

A/N: Well we are finally in the druidic realm. Harry will discover his element and familiar in this chapter though I already left a decent clue as to what the element is in chapter 5. Harry will also learn about the real reason he was summoned to the high council. Reviews are always highly appreciated if you have the time. Thanks as always go out to all of my readers and reviews for their support. I hope everyone is enjoying all the quick updates. Well here is chapter 7, Happy Reading!

_Italics _= Thoughts

~ _Italics ~ _= Thoughts between Harry and his familiar

Chapter 7: Welcome to the Jungle

" Remind me to never do that again." Harry said sincerely from his spot on the ground as he waited for the wave of nausea to pass.

" It is a bit disconcerting the first few times but it gets easier the more you do it, I barely even feel it anymore." Talasien told him.

" Hooray for you," Harry snapped.

Talasien laughed and said, " You should be feeling better soon, it usually doesn't last for long."

Harry found that Talasien was right and he was starting to feel a little better. He began to rise to his feet and grabbed the offered hand from Talasien. After he was on his feet he looked around and what he saw took his breath away.

It was a forest, but unlike any one that he had ever seen. Vivid greens and browns shone around him and there was no evidence of pollution. The trees and plant life around him seemed to be alive.

" Glorious isn't it, this is what happens without pollution, without war or fighting. We live closely with mother earth and in turn she rewards us with her greatest splendors. It isn't just the forests and trees, but the water, the air, every living thing in this realm seems to posses magic and a life and will of its own." Talasien told him.

" It's amazing." Harry said simply.

" It's home, my home and now yours as well." Talasien said with a smile.

" What?" Harry questioned.

" You are a druid Harry, and the druidic realm is home to all druids. Besides we take care of our own and if you think I'm letting you return to those sad excuse for human beings than the trip here has messed with your mind." Talasien said determinedly.

Harry smiled and followed Talasien as he started down a dirt path, Selena at his side, They had been walking for a few hours and Harry was just about to ask where they were when he saw a building peaking out from the trees.

" This is it?" Harry asked.

" The Grand Hall of the High Council, yes this is it." Talasien answered.

" It doesn't look like much, with a name like that I expected something I don't know, grander." Harry said honestly.

Talasien laughed and said, " Selena was of the same opinion."

Harry looked down at the wolf and smiled when she came over to walk beside him.

_I guess great minds think alike. _

Talasien opened his mouth to say something but closed it at a sharp growl from Selena and the thought that followed.

_Don't even think about saying it Loki. Whatever bad joke or insulting comment is in your twisted little head, keep it there._

"Of course Selena," He answered, attempting to school his features into a look of innocence, but failing miserably.

They continued on the path and it was only after they had drawn near the entrance that Harry noticed the 9 gemstones that sat above it.

" What is with the gemstones?" He asked.

" One gemstone for every element. You will notice that each of the council members have a gem in front of them." Talasien responded.

"Your element's gemstone is the green one right?" Harry inquired.

" Correct, emerald is the gemstone of the earth druids." Talsien confirmed.

_Are you ready Cub they are expecting us._

Harry took a deep breath and sighed.

" Yeah, lets go."

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Harry was nervous as he followed behind Talasien and Selena, he could see the large platform up ahead, which held the members of the high council. There was more to this than they were telling him, of that he was sure. Besides the bombshell he was certain they were going to drop there was also the matter of his druidic powers.

They know what element I will control and how I will find my familiar. They control what will happen to me.

Harry was lost in his own thoughts so much so that he missed most of the introductions that the Coucnilmembers gave.

A sharp voice suddenly cut through his thoughts, fairly dripping with malice.

" I don't know why you are all bothering, it is obvious that the boy has much more important things to do." A man in dark black clothing snapped.

Harry looked at the obsidian stone in front of the man and concluded that he was the Dark Master of the High Council, Lord Darren if he remembered correctly.

" Oh leave him alone Darren, he has had a trying last few days and with all the new information he has received any one of us would be hard pressed to pay attention were we in his place." Retorted a woman in bright white clothing, Lady Lana, the Light Master Harry's mind remembered.

Deciding that it might due well to make a better impression than he had previously he spoke up quietly but sincerely.

" I am sorry that my thoughts wandered, I have been given a lot of information but that is no excuse to be rude and not pay attention to the things in front of me."

Talasien shot him an approving look and Selena spoke quietly in his mind alone.

_Nice save Cub, Lord Darren doesn't really like anyone so it probably won't change how he sees you but you have earned yourself a bit of respect for you manners and your honesty from the others._

"Don't worry about it young druid, Lana speaks the truth, it is understandable that your thoughts would wander but I implore you to pay attention now as what we have to tell you is important." Said Lord Landon, the lighting and high master of the council.

" There are prophecies in the wizarding world are there not?" Lord Landon questioned.

Harry's face turned paled drastically, something that did not go unnoticed by either the council or Talasien. In a would be calm voice he spoke.

" Yes, there are prophecies given by seers in the wizarding world."

" Well there are also prophecies in this realm. Over a thousand years ago in this very hall, a prophecy was spoken to Kyron, the high master of the council. Now this prophecy spoke among many things of a boy who would be blessed in the magical arts, as well as be a son hidden in plain sight. For years the High Council has been trying to discover the meaning of those words and we finally have our answer. " Lord Landon said.

" What do you mean, what answer?" Harry asked.

" He means that you, Harry Potter are the child of our prophecy, a child blessed in the magical arts. A child who is also a son hidden in plain sight. The prophecy is taking about a wizard and a druid, which you have been proven to be. We don't know the exact words of the prophecy, as what the council wrote down of it was lost. That is why you were summoned here, as the prophecy is about you only you can take it from its resting place and open it so that we may here all of its words. " Lady Wyrda, the water master said.

" That can't be true, I can't be the child of your prophecy, I " He trailed off, realizing that if he continued he would have to mention the other prophecy. His efforts proved to be in vain when a man in dark grey clothing spoke.

" Am already involved in another prophecy. It matters not, it is possible to be involved in more than one prophecy." Lord Shayden, the shadow master spoke coldly finishing Harry's statement before adding one of his own.

" I know that this seems overwhelming but rest easy, you don't have to deal with it just yet. We don't know what this prophecy entails but we have all agreed that is will be best if you have had a little training before you open the prophecy." Lady Wryda said.

" Ok, ok you have said all of the important stuff, the poor kid is probably panicking and near tears, lets find out what his main element is already." Interjected a man with flame colored hair, the fire master, Lord Fuero.

Harry smiled at the Fire lord, his positive attitude and playful manner easing Harry's tense nerves. The fire lord returned his smile and sent him a roguish wink, making Harry snort.

"If you are done acting like a two year old Fuero, perhaps we can continue." Said Lord Darren.

" Now then Harry the process of finding your element is rather easy, most druidic children know as soon as they awake from their inheritance and then all that remains is to test it. Tell me Harry, did you notice anything strange during your inheritance." Lord Landon questioned.

"Besides thrashing on the floor for what seemed like hours due to the blinding pain that came about for no reason. You mean besides that." Harry said dryly.

" You ought to show some more respect when talking to your betters child." Lord Darren snapped at him.

Unlike Lord Darren however, Lord Landon had smirked at the statement.

" Oh leave him be Darren, I would be a little bitter to if I got hit with that kind of pain on the eve of my birthday with no warning. Nonetheless Harry did you notice anything odd."

" Yeah, towards the end before I passed out, my eyes had been shut and there were a bunch of colors flashing. When I felt myself starting to fade I tried to open my eyes to see what was wrong. When I opened them though." Harry stopped abruptly as he shuddered.

" Your vision was gone and in place of it you could see only one color correct." said Lord Landon.

" Yes, you mean that is normal." Harry asked.

" Very," The lightning lord assured him.

" What color did you see?" Lord Fureo asked excitedly.

" Silver, it was a piecing and glowing silver." Harry replied.

The entire hall went silent and most of the council had shocked looks on their faces. All had turned to look at one man, Lord Shayden. When the shadow lord spoke again his voice was still coldly apathetic but his eyes shone just a bit more brightly than normal.

" Come here young one and close you eyes." Lord Shayden instructed.

Harry walked over and stood in front of the shadow lord and closed his eyes as instructed.

" Now reach out and place your hand on the moonstone that lies in front of you, keep your eyes shut." Lord Shayden further instructed.

Harry did so and though at first nothing happened after a few moments he felt something stirring inside of him, almost like when he was concentrating before performing a complex spell at Hogwarts.

" Open your eyes child." Lord Shayden said in a surprisingly soft voice.

Harry opened his eyes and looked up at the shadow lord, he didn't feel any different.

The shadow lord smirked at the confused look on his face and said " Keep your hand on the moonstone but look at the mirror to your left."

Harry did so and what he saw shocked him. His green eyes were no longer only green. They were outlined in shinning silver and were glowing.

"Welcome to the Druidic Realm Harry, Son of Shadow." Lord Landon said softly.

There were many tense moments of silence before the fire lord spoke up.

" His element has been determined now all that remains is to find his familiar." Lord Feuro said.

" Well, then we leave it to you Shayden." The lightning lord said.

"Come young one, we will need to leave this place in order to summon your familiar, follow me." The shadow lord called to Harry.

With that he stepped down off the platform and strode to the door, Harry at his heels.

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After walking for a few minutes the pair reached a secluded glade in the forest near the Grand Hall. Lord Shayden took off his grey cloak and set it on a nearby log before moving to the center of the glade.

" Sit down and close your eyes." He instructed Harry.

Harry sat and shut his eyes. Behind him the shadow lord grew still and his dark blue eyes gained a silver rim as a ball of shadow formed in his hand. He walked closer to Harry and then dropped to his knees holding the ball of shadows near him

" Do you feel the energy?" Lord Shayden questioned.

" Yes," said Harry.

" Concentrate on it, let it be the only thing you hear, the only thing you feel, the only thing you are." The shadow lord told him.

With those instructions he released the shadow ball and it stuck to Harry and began to expand covering him completely in shadow. Harry felt energized and alive as the shadow raced around his body. After a few moments he started to feel at peace, hidden in the shadows. He let his mind drift, thinking about nothing. From inside of his peaceful bubble he heard a voice calling out to him.

" Call your familiar, they watch over you constantly and wait only for your call to appear on this plain. Call out for your familiar and it will come."

Forcing his drowsy mind to focus Harry poured all of the energy he could muster into one frantic thought.

_Please come to me._

It echoed in his mind as he called again and again. Finally after several tense moments it wasn't only his thoughts that he heard in his mind.

_~ Hello human mine. ~_

Shaking his head he strained to hear the voice that had answered his calls.

" Where are you?" he called with both his voice and his mind.

_~ Right in front of you, open your eyes my human. ~_

Harry complied and in front of him sat a grey and white wolf with teal-green eyes.

_~ I have been waiting a long time to meet you. My name is Kayla and you are my human. ~_

Harry looked at Kayla and smiled nervously.

_~ What is wrong ~_

Harry looked at her and thought

_~ Nothing it is just that I'm surprised that you are a wolf, is it normal for people to have the same familiar animal. I mean Talasien has Selena and he is an earth druid. ~_

Kayla looked thoughtful for a moment before she spoke again.

_~ Familiars have nothing to do with what element you master and as for two druids having the same animal, well no two familiars are the same just as no two druids are the same. We were paired together because our destinies are meant to be intertwined. We were fated to be together so I guess in the future my being a wolf will be important somehow but don't worry about it too much. What is done is done and we are together at last. You worry too much my human, you need to lighten up. ~_

Harry laughed and reached out towards Kayla. She immediately ran forward and nuzzled her head against him.

"How cute," Lord Shayden said dryly.

His voice reminded Harry that he and Kayla weren't alone. His attitude bothered Harry who glared and said sharply, " Well where is your familiar?"

The shadow lord gave a short whistle and out of the trees raced a large clouded leopard. She ran forward and leapt over a large rock to land gracefully next to Lord Shayden.

" Right here" he answered simply.

The leopard stalked forward towards Harry with a dangerous gleam in her eye. Upon seeing her moving forward Kayla jumped up and placed herself in between Harry and the leopard and gave a short growl of warning.

_Hmm, your instinct to protect your human is strong, and you fear neither the size nor strength of your opponent. I suppose you will do as a familiar. Greetings shadow cub, greetings wolf. My name is Nemesis; I believe you already know my human._

"Nice to meet you Nemesis," Harry said.

Kayla nodded her head in agreement and relaxed her stance but did not move from in between Harry and Nemesis.

Lord Shayden observed her behavior and said, " Your bond is just forming, she is going to be very protective of you for the next few days. Mind you don't do anything stupid that will cause her to worry."

" I am not stupid." Harry said quickly.

" No but you are ignorant, you have known you are a druid for what 3 hours now. It is impossible for you to know everything you will need to know. You will have to be a quick study and learn on your feet. Look to your familiar if you need help, she is very wise." The shadow lord told bluntly.

" How do you know she is wise, you have never met her?" Harry retorted, trying to find some fault in what the lord had said.

While he had not stated this intention out loud the shadow lord surmised much and wore a cold smile as he said, " She is a familiar, she is blessed with certain gifts to help her human. All familiars are very wise and are considered by most to be a druids voice of reason."

Harry blushed as the shadow lord accented his ignorance of druidic culture.

~_ What he says is true so let me start being your voice of reason now, stop trying to antagonize him. ~_

_~ Come on Kayla he is so irritating, all cold and haughty, like he is better than everyone else. It bothers me. ~_

_~ Be that as it may he is certainly more powerful than we are, so lets not go looking for trouble. ~_

Harry nodded in agreement and kept his mouth shut.

Lord Shayden smirked again and said, " Come child, the council and your friend Talasien are waiting for us.

He picked up his grey cloak and strode out of the clearing, Nemesis walking along next to him.

Harry watched them walking for a few moments and then after a nudge from Kayla they too walked out of the glade.

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After making the trip back to the Grand Hall and introducing Kayla, the discussion turned to where Harry was going to stay and how he was going to train for the summer.

" You will need to stay here and train but the question is where to put you." Lord Landon said, contemplating the problem.

" If no one has any objections, Harry is welcome to stay with my family and I. As for his training well, my background would be helpful. I wouldn't mind having another student." Talasien addressed the council.

" Wait, you are a teacher." Harry said.

" We do have schools here Harry, it is not like we live in the dark ages. Children here attend what you would know as muggle school up until there 16th birthday. After they come into their inheritance they move up into a different school to learn about their druidic powers and train their elemental gifts. I teach a class called Elemental Control and Focus at the upper school. " Talasien explained.

"You teach druids how to use their powers?" Harry questioned.

" No, I teach them the right mindset to be in to use their powers. A lot of elemental magic has to do with the emotions and mind of the druid using it. I teach the students ways to control their emotions and how to focus on their magical core."

"That's important right," Harry inquired.

"Wait until you see a druid who is in emotional distress try to use their powers and you will have your answers." Talasien said.

" It's important," Harry stated.

" Very." Talsien confirmed.

" Well we certainly have no objections Talsien. Harry will stay with you and your family for the rest of the summer. Near the end of the summer we will summon him here to open the prophecy." Lord Landon said to Talasien.

With that last word Lord Landon dismissed them and Talasien, Selena, Harry, and Kayla started for the door. They were almost out of the entrance when Lord Landon spoke again.

"Use this time well Harry and train hard, now go to your new home, the blessing of the High Council goes with you."

Harry nodded solemnly and walked out the door after Talasien.


	9. Chapter 8: Home Is Where the Heart Is

Title: Harry Potter and the Elemental Destiny

Author: Elemental Destiny

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K Rowling does. I just mess around with her characters. Anyone you don't recognize is my own creation .As a matter of fact, I own nothing you recognize, period.

Summary: With 5th year over, Harry is stuck in a deep depression. Yet with his 16th birthday approaching he will come to learn that not all magic is wizarding magic, not everything dark is evil, and that sometimes the correct path to follow is lying right before your eyes. AU Post OotP

A/N: Back again. Hope everyone had a good holiday and a happy new year. Well I'll keep this brief. Thanks for all the support! I love to hear from you guys and see what you think. Please don't hesitate to share your ideas or feelings about the story with me; you are the ones I'm writing it for. Well Harry has his element and his familiar and even a place to stay. We get to meet Talasien's family in this chapter and see a bit of the training Harry will do. Now on to chapter 8, Happy Reading.

_Italics _= Thoughts

~ _Italics ~ _= Thoughts between Harry and his familiar

Chapter 8: Home Is Where the Heart Is

The group of four left the Grand Hall and entered the woods. Talasien led with Selena at his side while Harry trailed back a ways walking next to Kayla. They trudged through the woods for many hours before finally reaching a large hill. As they climbed up the hill Talasien spoke quietly to Harry, the first words spoken during their entire trip,

" A shadow druid huh, that pretty impressive, they are normally very powerful."

" Yeah, it's awesome." Harry answered simply.

" You got a wolf as a familiar, that's pretty awesome to. All familiars are loyal but for wolves it's in their animal makeup as well as their familiar one. You two should end up being really close." Talasien said, trying again to draw Harry into some kind of conversation, anything to end the awkward silence that had enveloped their group since leaving the Grand Hall.

" Yeah it's great." Harry answered again, still distracted.

" So, you're going to dye your hair green and silver, that's pretty nice it should work well with your complexion." Talasien told him.

" Yeah, it should look, wait." Harry stopped mid sentence and looked up to see Talasien's eyes twinkling mischievously.

" Ok I get it I'm a little distracted, you don't need to joke with me to make it so obvious" Harry said, smiling slightly in spite of his words.

The desired smile achieved Talasien also smiled and pointed at the top of the hill.

"Well while you're in such a good mood I thought I'd point out that my village is just over the top of the hill."

" Really?" Harry questioned.

" Really, we should make it home in time for dinner. You will be able to see all of my family at once." Talasien told him.

" You never really talked much about your family, I mean I figured you were married with the ring on your finger and all but…" He trailed off looking at Talsien.

" You're right I am married. My wife's name is Kiray, Ki for short, and I have 2 kids, Celeste and Orion. They kids are actually just about your age, their twins. " Talasien told him.

" They are all druids right?" Harry asked.

" Yes," Talasien answered. " Ki and Orion are fire druids and Celeste is a light druid."

" None of them are earth druids like you, I mean, it doesn't run in the family?"

" No, not really. I mean you tend to see trends in families, look at Ki and Orion, but every person is an individual and a persons personality is what determines their element." Talasien said.

Harry sighed, " It is all so confusing, I feel like there is so much information I need to know that I could drown in it."

Talasien smiled sympathetically, " It will get easier and you have me, Selena, and Kayla to help. For now don't worry about all the specifics, jut get the basic concepts down and you will be alright, there will be time to learn the rest later."

Harry nodded and once again silence enveloped the group, but this time it was companionable silence, and it stayed with the group as the continued to trudge up the hill.

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After some more walking the group finally arrived at Sekotai and though the village was small and rather unimpressive by druidic standards to Harry it was amazing. He stared wide-eyed at every aspect of the village as they passed through it, walking towards the white house near the far end of the village.

Kayla looked at her human and smirked.

~ _You look like a little kid in a candy store_ ~

~ _I can't help it Kayla. I still can't believe this is happening and everything here looks so amazing, so pure and untainted._ ~

Kayla smiled as she continued to watch him.

~ _Well start believing human mine cause it's real._ ~

They continued chatting together until they reached the white house. The door opened and a woman with reddish brown hair stepped out and began to run towards them. Talasien smiled and stepped forward throwing his arms around the women. After a few moments they released each other and after taking her hand Talsien made the introductions.

" Harry, Kayla, this is my wife Kiray, Ki, this is Harry and his familiar Kayla."

Kiray smiled at the pair of them and said, " Welcome to our home. Harry, it is so wonderful to meet you, you as well Kayla. Please call me Ki and if you wait a moment I can introduce you to my familiar. "

" Aiden!" She called.

At her call a large tiger ran out the door racing towards the group before coming to a graceful halt by Ki.

Ki rolled her eyes before saying, " Harry, Kayla, meet my familiar Aiden."

"_Hello young ones." _Aiden said, his voice deep and strong.

Harry and Kayla exchanged greetings and the group made their way into the house.

" The kids are so excited to meet you, it's not often that there are many kids their age here." Ki told Harry.

" There aren't a lot of druid children?" Harry asked.

Both Ki and Talasien sighed but it was Ki who answered, " No, there aren't that many. In the larger villages, like where the school that Talasien teaches in, there are a decent amount but not here. Our numbers have been dropping steadily for a while now. There are only so many people in the druidic realm. "

" Oh." Harry said awkwardly.

Ki smiled at him and said, " Don't worry about it to much, I'm sure you and the kids will get along great."

On that note she got up and walked over to the stairs calling, "Kids, your father is home and Harry is here."

It wasn't long before Harry heard footsteps moving around above him. A little while later an average sized boy with brown hair shot down the stairs a cheetah at his heals. Behind him a girl walked calmly down the stairs, a kind smile on her face. At her side walked a husky.

The boy came over first and boldly shook Harry's hand while saying, " Hi Harry, I'm Orion and this is my familiar Apollo."

Harry shook his hand and introduced himself and his familiar. The girl came down the stairs and headed straight for Talasien and threw her arms around him, holding on for several moments, before coming over to where Harry stood. She pulled Harry into a quick hug, which was awkward but nice. She smiled at him and introduced herself, " Hiya Harry, I'm Celeste and this is my familiar Leon."

After going through some more greetings Ki sent Harry and the twins outside to get better acquainted.

" I'll call you when dinner is ready." She said.

The kids all went outside and sat in the backyard. Their familiars, after making sure they were ok went off to talk amongst themselves.

" So" Harry began, " You guys are druids."

" Yeah, I'm a light druid and Orion is a fire druid like our mom." Celeste told him.

" Hey, can you guys explain the whole element thing, I'm still a little lost. Your dad told me that your personality determines your element but what does that mean." Harry asked, confused. He was aware that he was really behind on information and hoped that the twins could help.

" Well, look at me and Orion, we are a great example of the concept your having trouble with. We are twins right, so it would make sense for us to have the same element, but we don't. Our personalities are way too different and that is why our elements are different. Orion is all action; all, the best defense is a good offence. In short, he's a pure type A personality. It makes sense then that his element is fire. It is an element that is very fast paced and dangerous, it matches his personality. With me so far?" She explained.

" Yeah I think so. Fiery personality, fire as an element. You're a light druid though, what does that say about you?" Harry asked.

Celeste smiled. " It says that I'm a peaceful person. I always look to work things out before I fight; in fact I rarely fight at all. I'm quick to help people and I stick closely to my own set of morals."

" She's a goody goody basically." Orion interjected.

Celeste stuck her tongue out at her brother. " I'll have to find the books for you, but I own some that talk all about what type of people certain element druids are supposed to be. I mean its not like the rules are set in stone. Ultimately you decide what kind of person you are going to be, not your element but its usually pretty accurate."

"I don't suppose that you can recall what type of people shadow druids are, do you?" Harry asked, worried after meeting Lord Shayden of what his element would say about him.

" Not off hand, sorry. I don't think I really read the entry on shadow druids as they are pretty rare. I do know that they almost always are really powerful so that's a plus. " Celeste said.

They sat together for a while longer, talking about lighter topics and just enjoying each other's company. It was apparent to all of them that they were going to become fast friends. After some more time had passed they heard the call of Ki, summoning them for dinner.

" Lets go get some dinner, it's late so we won't have much time before bed. " Celeste said.

" It seems like we are going to go to bed really early, why? " Harry questioned.

Orion got a wicked look on his face as he said; " You start training tomorrow Harry, trust me when I say you cant go to sleep early enough. "

" It's going to be that bad, " Harry asked.

The only answer he got was a smirk from Orion and a sympathetic glance from Celeste as they made their way to dinner.

After dinner Harry was shown his room and after a little while he and Kayla settled into bed.

~ _This is it Kayla, tomorrow is basically the start of my life as a druid. I hope I'm ready._ ~

~ _What will be will be human mine, if we are ready then we are ready and will train hard. If we aren't ready then I suspect we will have many who will help us become so. We cannot control our situation; we can only control how we react to it. Go to sleep now my human, the morning will come quickly._ ~

Harry smiled at her and her wisdom; glad she was by his side.

~ _Good night Kayla_ ~

~ _Good night, human mine_ ~

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Two weeks later Harry stood at the top of the hill that overlooked the village. He had run all the way from the house to the hill, the farthest he had ever been able to go. He chuckled mirthlessly when he thought of Orion's warning on his first night in Sekoti.

And the understatement of the year award goes to…

Training was intense; there was no other word for it. He got up and ate breakfast with Talasien and his family then went out for his run. He had been surprised at first to realize all the physical training he would be doing but Talasien had informed him that using elemental magic was far more tiring than using regular magic, thus requiring a druid to be in far better physical shape than a wizard. Talasien had told him that as he was both he should be in top shape.

The physical part of training he was excelling at, the elemental part however, was not going so well. Talasien had taken him out to an old clearing and taught him how to meditate and also the beginnings of Occlumency, which he found himself surprisingly good at. He glared remembering Snape's barked comment of " Clear you mind Potter". While Occlumency was difficult, with a better teacher he was really making strides.

After his meditation was at a proficient enough level, Talasien taught him to seek out his elemental core, the place wherein he could call forth shadow magic, as Talasien called it. He fond the core fascinating, a huge swirling mess of silver strands, woven around each other. Everything had gone great until he tried to summon a shadow ball.

Talasien told him it was the simplest exercise in elemental control. You used the magic from your core to summon your element to you, forming a small ball of the element in your hands. He explained that while druids have part of their element living inside of them, due to his age it was very small and hard to reach. Summoning the element from the world around you would have to do until he got older and more experienced. The only problem was he couldn't do it. He had been trying for days but he couldn't get the magic to work. Talasien was patient and tried not to let his worry show but Harry could tell that something was wrong and when he confronted Talsien he was told,

" I've just never seen someone take this long to get it, and you doing all the right movements and techniques and your meditation skills are strong. You should be able to do this Harry and it concerns me that you cant."

He went on to guess that perhaps it had something to do with his wizarding magic but he wasn't certain.

While Harry was very upset at first, he had done a lot of thinking over the weeks and decided maybe it wasn't such a terrible thing that he wasn't good. His mind went back to the book entries he had read on shadow druids. Celeste had been true to her word and found him not one but three different books on druids. He remembered vividly the passages they had contained on shadow druids.

The entry in the first book hadn't been awful,

_Neither dark nor light they are often very determined and ambitious as well as fiercely loyal to friends and family. Though they do not trust easily and are somewhat aloof, giving rise to the claim that they are dark and cold. They also have a high control over their own emotions, though when persuaded to speak can be extremely passionate and charismatic. They are fearless fighters are powerful allies in battle. _

The entries in the next two books however had shocked and worried him.

_One of the most dangerous and rare elements, shadow is dark and mysterious as are the druids who wield it The triggering emotion is betrayal, which says a lot about the type of element that shadow is. The druids tend to be cold and serious, caring only about their familiar and the ways they can use their powers to the biggest advantage. They are the black sheep of the druidic world, worse even than the dark druids. All know that a dark druid is not to be trusted, but the danger in the shadow druid is that with him, one is never entirely sure whether a he is on their side or just waiting to stab them in the back. _

_Dangerous and lethal, they are among the most powerful druids to exist in the realm. Often times this power can corrupt the mind of a shadow druid turning them, no pun intended, to a shadow of their formal self. The many gifts of the element are dangerous assets that the druid in question can use to achieve their ends. While there have been a few notable shadow druids, (See Kyron, Shadow and High Master of the 1__st__ High Council) There are few who are able to resist the alluring and seductive power of the shadow element. Treat with caution and watch your back. _

Perhaps if he went along slow enough he could avoid this corruption that the book spoke of. Despite his concerns he tried his best as to not disappoint his teacher. It had been a long two weeks.

Done with his break Harry stretched some before starting a light jog back down the hill. He had come to love his morning runs as they gave him a chance to think. After some time had passed he saw the white house coming into view. He smiled as he saw a girl and a dog playing fetch by the trees and a boy and a cheetah racing in the backyard. Despite the hardships and difficulties of his training, he had come to love the new life he had and wouldn't trade the past two weeks for anything.

A wolf raced out to meet him and quickly fell in step next to him.

~ _Ready for the day human mine?_ ~

~ _With you by my side, I feel ready for anything._ ~


	10. Chapter 9: You Know What Happens When

Title: Harry Potter and the Elemental Destiny

Author: Elemental Destiny

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K Rowling does. I just mess around with her characters. Anyone you don't recognize is my own creation . As a matter of fact, I own nothing you recognize, period.

Summary: With 5thyear over, Harry is stuck in a deep depression. Yet with his 16th birthday approaching he will come to learn that not all magic is wizarding magic, not everything dark is evil, and that sometimes the correct path to follow is lying right before your eyes. AU Post OotP

A/N: Hello again all! Thanks for all the great reviews and hits; you all are awesome, as always. I'm still fairly new to writing on this site and just discovered that I can reply to reviews. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask because now I can answer easily. I hope you all like this chapter, as it has been one that I couldn't wait to write. We see Harry training a bit and watch as he gets a visit from an unsuspected source. We also see a new side to an old character. On to chapter 9, Happy Reading!

_Italics _= Thoughts

~ _Italics ~ _= Thoughts between Harry and his familiar

Chapter 9: You Know What Happens When You Assume

After receiving his daily instructions from Talasien, Harry set off into the woods to find a place to meditate. As usual his first task of the morning was to find a place to meditate and attempt to summon a shadow ball. It was the same task he had been trying to accomplish for almost two weeks, so while he intended to try he wasn't very optimistic.

He walked through the trees trying to find a suitable place. Harry tried to change where he went everyday, hoping it would change his results but thus far he was the same everywhere he went. He wished that Kayla was with him but she was off training and even if she wasn't Talasien always said meditation worked better when done alone.

After a few more minutes of searching he found a nice, quiet glade with plenty of soft grass. Walking to the middle of the glade he sat down and began the process of calming his mind. In a few moments he was in the peaceful trance of meditation and began looking inward towards his elemental core. He found the swirling ball of silver and concentrated on it, memorizing its feel. Now all he had to do was concentrate on that feeling and call out to it and the shadows of the earth should come to him. But they didn't, just as always his hands were left empty.

Harry opened his eyes and sighed before shutting them again, intending to attempt the action again.

" Why?"

Harry eyes shot opened and he jumped up from the ground, quickly scanning the glade looking for the source of the voice. There was no one around though and this made Harry nervous.

" Who are you?" He questioned warily, hand on his wand.

" Why?" The mysterious voice repeated.

Now beginning to panic Harry drew his wand and after scanning the glade again yelled, " Where are you?"

" Right in front of you."

Harry spun around to face where he heard the voice originate from. The air in front of him shimmered slightly and a man's form came into view.

" You? What are you doing here?" Harry questioned, bewildered and also very much annoyed as he faced one of the last people he wanted to see.

Lord Shayden smirked and said, " Now young one, keep talking like that and I am going to start thinking that you are unhappy to see me."

Harry looked distastefully at the master in front of him. Out of all of the high council, excluding Lord Darren, it was the shadow lord that Harry disliked the most.

He opened his mouth to answer back but the words of his familiar echoed in his head. As much as he disliked the arrogant and emotionless lord, Shayden was a great deal more powerful than he was. It would be unwise to provoke him.

" How did you get an invisibility cloak big enough to cover you completely?" Harry asked, after casting about his mind for a topic for polite conversation. Plus, he was also interested. He was on the smaller side and his own cloak barely fit over him when he crouched. He couldn't see how one could fit over the shadow lord who towered over him.

Lord Shayden laughed coldly and said, " I do not require a cloak to become invisible."

"Oh," Harry said while silently berating himself. What a stupid thing to say, he should have known that. Why was it that whenever he was around this man he ended up putting his foot in his mouth. He decided however that as long as he had already sounded stupid he might as well get the information he now wanted to know.

" How, the headmaster at my school can become invisible without a cloak but you don't have wizarding magic he does."

" True, but I do posses a great deal of mastery over the shadow element." Lord Shayden said.

The shadow lord looked pensive for a moment before speaking again.

" Consider this a lesson child, of what you could eventually achieve. Watch my eyes if you don't believe that it is shadow magic." The master said.

Lord Shayden waved his hand in front of him and began to slowly fade from view. He left his head for last, locking eyes with Harry before fading completely from view, eyes that were outlined in glowing silver.

Despite his dislike of the lord, Harry was still impressed by the feat and when the shadow lord reappeared he asked, " How do you do that?"

" It requires a great deal of concentration and a large amount of control over the shadow element, as you are in a sense, cloaking yourself in shadow." He replied.

Harry thought about his own non-existent skill with the element that he was beginning to distrust and despise.

_He really is so much more powerful than me. _

He also realized that he would never be able to do what he had just seen, which, feelings about his element aside, upset him greatly.

" Now that reminds me of the reason that I am here. I am eagerly awaiting your answer." Lord Shayden said.

" What answer?" Harry asked, confused.

" The one to the question I was asking you when you first heard my voice. Why?" The shadow lord replied.

" Why what?" Harry snapped, his patience regarding the shadow lord finally coming to an end.

Shayden sighed and said, " Why aren't you trying to train in your element."

Harry's eyes widened and he stared at the shadow lord while trying to calm his worried and sometimes angry thoughts.

_How does he know that I haven't been able to do any shadow magic? Why does he care? Talasien couldn't have told the high council about this, he would have told me. Wouldn't he? What does he mean not trying I have been working my butt off trying to get this stuff to work. I may not be succeeding but I am trying._

He finally calmed his thoughts and answered.

" I don't know what you are talking about. I am trying to train; I've been trying for almost two weeks. It is just taking me a little longer than most to get the hang of it. It's not magic that I am used to."

Before the lord had a chance to respond Harry fired a question at him.

" Why are you here anyway? I am sure that as a council member you have a great many important things to do, so why waste your time coming here."

Shayden smirked at Harry's obvious attempt to change the subject, but answered him nonetheless.

" I am here because of the problems that I hear you have been having, problems that you have just confirmed. You are one of the first shadow druids to come into your powers in quite some time and in this realm we take care of our own. As I am also a shadow druid that makes you one of my own, thus making your problem my problem."

Lord Shayden smirked again at the look on Harry's face before continuing.

" So if you are done trying to change the subject we can return to the question of why your aren't trying.

" I am trying." Harry insisted.

" I've watched what you call trying young one. You can see you elemental core you get right up close to it but you don't touch it. You havenever immersed yourself in your core, never let yourself become one with your element, even though I know Talasienhas instructed you to do so. Your excuse of trying might work with others but it doesn't fool me, so why?"

" That's not true, I have been trying." Harry snapped, defensively.

Lord Shayden sighed and said, " Alright, if you wont tell me then you leave me no choice but to guess."

" Guess away my lord since you obviously know so much more about me then me." Harry spat out sarcastically.

" Hmm, maybe you just wanted the attention, people will keep hovering over you until you get it. Yes the attention could be a reason."

Harry glared at the shadow lord but held his tongue, Kayla's warning once more ringing in his ears.

" No. Hmm guess I'll try something else. Perhaps you are simply lazy and don't feel like having to do harder work. If you stay down at a pre-beginner level Talasien can't really ask much of you."

"I am not lazy!"

" Well then I suppose I will just have to keep guessing, unless you would care to make it easier for me and simply answer my question." Lord Shayden said, his eyes gleaming in cold delight.

" I told you, I am trying." Harry said with conviction.

The shadow lord then did something that Harry hadn't thought possible. He laughed, hard. In fact if it hadn't been for the fact that the shadow lord was laughing in his face Harry probably would have noticed and made note of it.

" Child, you have little skills at lying and absolutely no skills at lying to me." Lord Shayden told him bluntly.

" At least I'm not a cold arrogant bastard." Harry mumbled under his breath.

" Shall I continue then," Shayden said apathetically, ignoring Harry's anger.

" By all means." Harry managed to ground out.

" Well I do have one last idea. Maybe it is that you don't want to use druidic magic. Maybe our common, dirty magic is just isn't good enough for the precious Boy- Who – Lived."

Harry, who had stood by and watched himself be slandered by a man who knew nothing about him and managed to say all of it with an emotionless expression, finally snapped. He forgot about his wand and simply leapt at the man, violent intent shinning in his eyes.

The shadow lord dodged Harry's punches for a few moments before disappearing from view.

" Come out and fight me you coward." Harry screamed.

He continued to rant at the air, throwing wild punches as he went. He had been doing this for some time when the hair on his neck began to stand on end; the instinctually warning however came to late. Harry was thrown the ground and before he even had time to register what had happened his wrists were pinned to his back and a weight settled on his legs. He struggled trying to get up but found that he couldn't move. Upon noticing the lack of mobility he struggled anew trying to break the hold on him.

Turning his head he saw the shadow lord reappear and saw that while the lord held his wrists behind his back, it was pure shadow energy that held his legs down.

He continued to struggle wildly, trying again and again to rise from his current position.

" What the hell do you want with me!" Harry yelled, struggling once more before continuing.

" You can't expect me to believe that you are here to help me. You are a cold emotionless bastard who doesn't care about anyone other then himself. I've seen how you act. The only one who can stand you is your familiar. All anyone sees when they look at you is a arrogant and apathetic old man." Harry continued to rant in frustration.

The shadow lord's eyes narrowed as he increased his hold on Harry and leaned down over him so that his head was next to Harry's.

" You and all others see only what I wish for you to see, nothing more and nothing less." Lord Shayden said dangerously.

" What do you want from me?" Harry repeated, his voice raw from yelling.

" I seek only the truth to the question I asked."

" I told you, I have been trying." Harry insisted desperately.

" You know you are quite small and don't weigh very much, our sad attempt at a fight and your even sadder attempts at escaping didn't even tire me at all. In fact I bet I could hold you down here all night if I had to. Now you can keep lying and we can test that theory or you can tell me the truth and I may consider letting you up."

Harry remained quiet for some time, still trying to escape the older man's iron grip. Time after time he was thwarted and eventually tears of frustration began to appear in his eyes. He turned his head, trying to block his face from view of the shadow lord. He might be in a bad position but he still had his pride.

" Why are you doing this, why do you care?" Harry mumbled depressingly into the ground.

At his words, Lord Shayden looked down at the desperate and distraught young shadow druid that he had pinned down against the ground. He sighed and his eyes softened as he saw the tears of frustration that the Harry tried to hide.

" What is it young druid?" He questioned softly. " What has you so frightened that you wont even touch your core."

He felt Harry stiffen at his words and shake his head slightly. Knowing that he was on the right track, he continued.

" It s alright to tell me young one. I am of the shadows, and we do not judge. Why are you so afraid." Lord Shayden said, his once cold voice now calm and soothing.

Harry closed his eyes, tired, exhausted and realizing that he had no choice left but to answer. He spoke in a hollow voice saying , " I can't risk it, it is too much power."

" Can't risk what shadow cub, tell me." The shadow lord encouraged, thankful that they were finally getting somewhere.

" I can't become corrupted by the shadows, it is too dangerous, I could hurt someone." Harry said, voice still hollow and slightly drowsy.

" Please don't tell me that you believed the utter garbage that was printed in that book." The shadow lord said suddenly, understanding slamming into him and loathing of the book clear in his voice.

He suddenly released his grip and helped Harry, who by this point was too tired to think of escaping, into a sitting position.

" I think I know what is going on now. If I am right then you and I need to have a major discussion on shadow druids. " Shayden told him.

" I've read all about them, what more is there to know." Harry said bitterly.

" Tell me something, what do the purebloods of your world think of muggleborns," Shayden questioned.

" That they are scum with dirty blood who will never be as good as they are." Harry replied, confused.

" Is that true?" Lord Shayden questioned.

" What, no. Of course not! Muggleborns are just like everyone else." Harry told him passionately.

" You know that but what would happen if someone who had never been in your world before read that muggleborns had dirty blood and would never be as good as purebloods. What would that person think?" Shayden said, setting him up for his next question.

" That muggleborns had dirty blood and would never be as good as purebloods. " Harry answered automatically.

" What then would happen if a wizard came into the druidic realm and read that all shadow druids were dangerous and became corrupted by their powers? What would they think?" Shayden asked.

" That it was true." Harry said in a soft voice, truth slamming into him.

" Would it be true though?" Lord Shayden said, checking to be certain his point was understood.

" No, it wouldn't be." Harry said, believing the truth of his own words.

" You let yourself be taken in by false, prejudiced words. Your element is not going to corrupt you; you will remain who you ever have been. Every person must decide their own path; there is nothing that decides it for them."

" That's not true, if I could choose my own path I wouldn't have to deal with my world's stupid prophecy." Harry said.

" You don't have to follow the prophecy. You could let the dark lord walk up and kill you. You could run away and hide and forget that you ever heard it. You could leave behind family and friends. It is an option." Lord Shayden pointed out.

" But I would never do that." Harry insisted.

Lord Shayden smiled, " Then you prove my statement is true. You may not like the prophecy but you are choosing to make it real. By refusing to run away you are choosing the path of the prophecy, setting up the confrontation it describes."

" I never thought about it that way." Harry told him.

" Well now you have so don't forget it. You havebeen handed a harder lot that most but in the end you can do no more or less than anyone else. Play with the hand that is dealt to you and use it to forge your own destiny" Lord Shayden said.

With that Lord Shayden rose to his feet and Harry followed suit.

" Well, it is late and I've probably distressed your familiar enough for one day." Shayden said.

" Kayla knows what has been happening." Harry asked with a wince, thinking of just how annoyed with him his familiar was going to be.

" Oh I wouldn't worry about her reaction. Lets just say I would be very surprised if you were the only one pinned to the ground this day." Shayden said with a laugh.

" Nemesis" Harry guessed.

" Indeed." Shayden replied.

" Lord Shayden?"

" Yes shadow cub." Shayden replied.

" Nemesis called me that when I first met her," Harry told him distractedly before continuing. " Why are you so different, I mean I like this side of you, it is better. Why don't you show it?"

Lord Shayden sighed and said, " One thing that the books got right is that shadow druids usually do not trust easily and I am a prime example of that. It is easier to keep people away when you project a cold and emotionless exterior.

" Oh," Harry said, sensing the subject was closed.

The pair then walked out of the glade, heading for Talasien's house. The conversation was light and Harry felt himself begin to re-evaluate the shadow lord. There really was more to him then Harry had first thought

They were met in the forest by their familiars and Lord Shayden's prediction proved to be true. Harry and Kayla sheepishly shared their experiences while the shadow lord and his familiar smirked.

They finally reached Talasien's house where they were met by Talasien himself who had a worried look on his face.

" There you are, I was beginning to worry. I see you ran into some friends." Talasien said eyeing the shadow lord and his familiar.

" Yeah, something like that." Harry mumbled, still embarrassed by the events that had taken place.

" Well now that you are once more in safe hands I believe I shall take my leave. Talasien, I believe that you will find Harry to be quite capable of accessing his shadow magic from now on. I shall keep an ear out however and if problems continue, be sure to send word." Lord Shayden said while firing an almost predatory look at Harry, who gulped.

"Yes of course, thank you my lord for taking time out of your busy schedule."

Shayden nodded and began to walk off, Nemesis at his heels.

" Lord Shayden wait." Harry called suddenly.

He turned to face Harry and said, " What is it shadow cub."

" Why did you do it? I am grateful but I don't understand, why did you help me." Harry questioned.

" I told you before young one. Druids take care of their own, and as a shadow druid you are one of my own." Shayden said.

The shadow lord sighed heavily and then continued, speaking to Harry but focusing his gaze on Talasien.

" I have also seen before what can happen to a child in distress that is left alone, helpless to fight their inner demons. It is not a pretty sight and after I saw it I swore that I would never let it happen to any child again if I could help it."

Talasien's eyes widened as he gazed at the shadow lord in almost fearful confusion. He gaze remained locked on Shayden though, as if he was trying to place a name to his face.

The shadow lord then turned his gaze to Harry and Kayla.

" Be well young ones and remember, I'll be watching."

Harry and Kayla nodded and watched as Lord Shayden and Nemesis faded from view.

Having recovered slightly Talasien said, " Sounds like you two had an interesting morning."

Harry and Kayla exchanged a quick glance.

" Talasien, you have no idea."


End file.
